Students have more power than they think.
A handful of universities across the country have started converting energy from exercise equipment into electricity, including Drexel University in Philadelphia. The environmentally progressive company ReRev has installed workout machines that allow for the power generated while exercising to run straight into the buildings' power grids.
A typical 30-minute treadmill workout can provide enough energy to light a bulb for 2.5 hours, said Dan Simmons, director of recreation at Drexel. Any extra energy made during the workout can be stored for later use.
Implementing equipment like this could drastically change the way people measure the productiveness of their workout. Instead of checking the distance ran, treadmill users could gauge how many hours of light they’ve stored.
Complimenting someone’s athletic physique would no longer be the standard “You’re ripped, man,” but rather, “I bet you can generate this whole building!” People could measure their successes in light bulbs lit, not calories burned.
An average of 4,500 people come into the Tempe campus Student Recreational Center per day during the fall and spring and 1,800 in the summer. Through sheer numbers, ASU could light up the town.
But the question is, is a system like this feasible and manageable for ASU?
The SRC has been interested in capturing energy through exercise equipment and has looked into many different options and possibilities. This past year, mechanical engineering junior Beth Magerman interned in the University Sustainability Practices with one of her responsibilities to help research and set up communication between the SRC and ReRev.
Doug Ewing, associate Director of the SRC, reviewed this proposal and decided that this was not the most economical decision for the time being. From his research, he found that the system would negatively impact gym-goer’s satisfaction (the tension of the resistance levels on the bikes would not be as effective and the retrofitted elliptical would not be as smooth). He also found that the energy output is not very significant.
Drexel has similarly discovered that the system is not saving money at this point; more power would have to be generated to make a difference. With the substandard condition and high costs, the ReRev technology would not be a wise product for ASU to invest in now.
Though the SRC has not been able to justify the current green exercise technology, it is still very committed to sustainability initiatives.
“They have been extremely happy to hear all suggestions that I have brought to them in the expansion steering committee and suggestions from Campus Student Sustainability Initiative’s SRC Expansion Committee which I started to give more students access to sharing their ideas with the SRC,” Magerman said. “If they receive student interest in energy generating machines, they will be more likely to consider it valuable.”
Along with putting in lighting retrofits, the SRC has approved the student organization’s proposals for adding filtered water bottle refills to water fountains, waterless urinals and dual-flush toilets.
The gym continues to explore other energy saving options, such as reusable water bottle promotions, waste audits and special collection recycling (batteries, golf balls, tennis balls and sneakers for Nike Reuse-A-Shoe). Currently, the SRC is considering a proposal for outdoor shade coverings by the pool that would reduce urban heat island effect.
Magerman said she and the SRC are still in touch with ReRev and the possibility of working with them to set up energy producing equipment is still open.
Ewing also explained, “Updated equipment is coming out now and we will continue to investigate if we can include equipment that generates electricity and builds it back into the electrical grids.”
Even though the ReRev equipment is only mildly effective in saving energy, it has successfully brought awareness and understanding of what is possible to students. The potential exists; it just needs to be grabbed. Well, in this case, cycled.
Reach the columnist at mgrichar@asu.edu
