OU's Ping Center taps thigh-powered energy source

Remember the old cartoon gag where a fancy piece of electronic machinery is actually powered by some poor critter running inside a wheel? Or the old "œFlintstones" cartoon where Fred and Barney power their cars with their feet?

Ohio University's Ping Center is operating something not that different, except in this real-world application, it actually has an environmental payoff.

Ping has launched a program that will take green energy to a new level by harnessing energy produced by exercising students to produce electricity for the facility.

This summer, Ping Center hooked up 20 elliptical machines to the ReRev System, which converts kinetic energy produced by students working out into renewable energy, explained Hafedh Benhabj, the Ping Center's director.

"With these machines, students can see a tangible way of relating to their environment," he said.

An elliptical machines is a stand-up machine with pedals, where students pump their legs in an oval or back-and-forth motion. On these self-propelled machines, students create more energy than needed to power the machine, Benhabj explained. That energy is converted to direct current (DC) and sent to the ReCardio converter box.

The ReCardio box converts the energy to alternating current (AC), which can be used to provide electricity for parts of Ping Center, according to the Web site for ReRev, the company that installed the system.

"A typical 30-minute workout can produce 50 watt hours of really carbon-free electricity," Benhabj said.

The energy produced per 30 minute workout is enough to power one incandescent light bulb for 45 minutes or one CFL bulb for two and a half hours, according to the Web site.

"It's not about lighting a whole city, but we're contributing," Benhabj said. "The system is partly educational because it can impact other sustainability issues on campus and raise student awareness."

OU is now the eighth school in the nation to install a ReRev system, and OU has the second-highest number of machines. Oregon State University has 22, according to ReRev's Web site.

The system, which consists mainly of a converter box and cables, cost about $14,000 total. This price includes the company's trip from Florida to install the system as well as the installation itself, Benhabj said. The money came from Ping Center's budget for repairs and replacements. He said he would like to try to partner with American Electric Power, the main utility that provides electricity in the area, to help cover the $14,000 cost of the system.

The elliptical machines are some of the most popular machines in Ping Center, Benhabj said, and during the regular school year, the machines are rarely empty. Many exercisers feel that they're easier on their knees and joints than traditional exercise bikes.

Benhabj said he and colleagues had been discussing going green for years, and that when he heard about ReRev through colleagues at other schools, he decided to help Ping jump on board.