Colleges’ money tricks – create energy

Posted on by Patricia Beaumont

This is a pet peeve of mine – going to the gym and using energy when in reality we should be generating electricity.  CNN has an article posted “6 colleges’ quirky money tricks”. The number 2 trick – converting student sweat into energy. What a great idea! In the past machines you would get on in the gym were plugged into the wall to create resistance and to power the control panel. This did not make sense to me. Here we are working hard, sweating and using energy. Instead, we should be generating power to be used for lighting and to create air conditioning so that we can work out in a comfortable gym.

 

I challenge every university, including the University of Rochester, to, over time, convert all of their machines to energy generation. If we think about it, there are probably 100 more simple ideas where with a little engineering and some sweat equity, energy generation could be commonplace.

 

Some other ideas – 1. Rainwater in our homes/offices could be diverted to a water wheel and energy created. 2. Heat from computers could be contained and reused. 3. Take advantage of outdoor air temperatures in home heating systems. 4. Charge a battery on your bike (or car) when going downhill. 5. Take advantage of the huge piles of snow during the snowmelt season to create energy. 6. Save the energy from all normal human activities – opening and closing doors, walking up and down stairs, lifting weights and swimming for example.  7. Take heat directly from a person (energy clothing) to store it for later. 8. Put a small wind turbine on each highway light fixture to power the light.

 

Check out the article below about the energy generating soccer ball.

 

 

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5 Replies to “Colleges’ money tricks – create energy”

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  4. It was great to read about these simple ideas that colleges and universities can adopt to create energy using the student body’s everyday activities. We hope that these innovative ideas can become commonplace in the future. Articles such as this one prove just how simple it is for universities around the country to focus on energy efficiency without large budget commitments. Another place where universities and colleges can save money and reduce environmental impact is with furniture management. Although college furniture tends to see unprecedented ware and use, simple refinishing techniques can keep perfectly functional furniture out of landfills. While refinishing may not capture energy as many ideas in this post suggest, it will certainly help to preserve the environment for generations to come, which is something we can all appreciate.

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