Project

While working out in the gym, burning unwanted calories, many of us wonder what could be done with all this excess energy. Is there a way in which it could be harnessed instead of dissipated as heat? With this question in mind, the Human Power Generation in Fitness Facilities research project was born. This project is part of the Community Assessment of Renewable Energy and Sustainability (CARES) research being conducted in the Berkeley Energy and Sustainability Technologies (BEST) laboratory in the Mechanical Engineering department at the University of California, Berkeley.

Over the Summer of 2009, a feasibility study was conducted on the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF) at the University of California, Berkeley to determine how energy efficient the facility was and to estimate the amount of energy that could be harnessed from gym patrons. The study was conducted for an energy harnessing system that involves retrofitting elliptical machines so that their built-in resistance mechanism is replaced with a micro-inverter. Not only does this micro-inverter provide the resistance for the patron's workout, but it also converts the patron's direct current electricity into usable alternating current electricity. 

A typical elliptical machine.With 28 elliptical machines in mind for retrofitting at the RSF, it was calculated that approximately 10,000 kWh could be generated from such an installation. A further energy audit determined that this would produce less than 1% of the RSF's energy needs.

However, looking in to the RSF's overall energy usage, it was determined that the facility has already done a great deal to be energy efficient. Replacement of the majority of the lights in the facility over the past year has decreased the facility's energy consumption by over 150,000 kWh, while also increasing hours. Comparing the RSF to other gyms across the nation further the conclusion that the RSF is very energy efficient, mainly because of the facility's lack of air conditioning.

During Fall of 2009, a user survey was sent out to all the members of the RSF to gauge how the members of the RSF perceive the energy usage of different machines as well as determine how gym members would react to such an installation of energy generating elliptical machines.

The responses to the user survey demonstrated that many members could be educated on the energy usage of various machines in the hopes that they choose to use cardio machines that use less energy. For example, not many people realize that an elliptical machine only uses about 15 W to provide a sufficient work-out, while a treadmill may use up to 2.2 kW for the same 1 hour work-out. At the same time, the survey also demonstrated the great deal of enthusiasm the campus community has for this project. :)

We are a student group acting independently of the University of California. We take full responsibility for our organization and this web site.

Team

Jodi Loo (EECS ‘14) is currently pursuing her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley. Aside from her involvement as the HPG team lead, she also conducts research in the Electrical Engineering department on optoelectronics and energy efficient devices.

Eric Mao (EECS '14) is pursuing his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UC Berkeley, and is the Elliptical Team lead in the HPG project. His academic focus is on building software solutions to simplify people's lives.

Rajith Jayarantne is a junior at UC Berkeley, majoring in Mechanical Engineering and part of the HPG's Elliptical Team.

Danny Chang (CS/Econ '14) is currently a senior at UC Berkeley, pursuing a B.A. in Computer Science and Economics. He is part of the Elliptical Team as well as being the web developer for HPG.

Jennifer Wang is part of the HPG education campaign to educate RSF users about sustainable energy and the HPG-retrofitted workout machines. She is a Ph.D. candidate in the Graduate Group in Science and Mathematics Education, focusing on Engineering Education at the University of California, Berkeley. She also obtained her B.S. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Berkeley. Jennifer currently conducts research with the Lawrence Hall of Science.

Matt Roeschke is a senior at UC Berkeley majoring in Environmental Engineering Science. Matt is part of the Pedal Power Team in HPG, and his academic interests lie in alternative energy generation, as well as energy performance of buildings.

Kyle Zampaglione is finishing his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering Fall 2014. He is the current leader of the Bike Team and has been a member since Spring 2011.

Maha Haji graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Applied Mathematics in May 2012. She is currently a first-year MS/PhD studying Ocean Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) as part of the Joint Program between MIT and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute.

Professor Alice M. Agogino is the Roscoe and Elizabeth Hughes Professor of Mechanical Engineering and affliated faculty at the Haas School of Business in their Operations and Information Technology Management Group. She directs the Berkeley Expert Systems Technology /Berkeley Energy and Sustainable Technologies (BEST) Laboratories and the Berkeley Instructional Technology Studio (BITS).

Contact

You can contact HPG by sending us an email at rsfenergy@gmail.com

Sponsors

Special thanks to the following groups and organizations for their generous grants that have helped support this project!


The Green Initiative Fund (TGIF)- University of California, Berkeley


Sigma Xi - The Scientific Research Society - Grants-in-Aid of Research


Green Fund Grant - University of California, Berkeley Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Sustainability


UC Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (LEADS) - University of California, Berkeley


New Experiences for Research at Diversity in Science (NERDS) Program - University of California, Berkeley