UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST

Caloocan Campus

A THESIS PROPOSAL ON PEDAL-POWERED GENERATOR

Submitted by:
Espinosa, Adrian
Moredo, Carl Joseph C.
EN - 6C

August 6, 2015

CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
Today, with the heavy use of automobiles combined with the burning of
fossil fuels, increasing problems are affecting human health and climate change
as a result of air pollution. Pedal power energy has been in use since the
nineteenth century. Aside from transportation, pedal-power energy can be
applied to a tremendous variety of jobs that contribute to less pollution and
conserve energy in the home. Pedal power uses the most powerful muscles in
the body: the quads, hamstrings, and calves, converting ninety-five percent of
exertion into energy.
Studies have been conducted in pedal-powered generator. Arndt (2014)
modified mix single-rate/altered rigging bicycle that functioned admirably,
because of its capacity to hold a cog on either side of the back wheel. The chain
on the right is driven by the pedals, while an included chain the left twists the
engine. As an afterthought that is driven by the pedals, she utilized a freewheel,
which turns the wheel when shes accelerating yet permits it to continue turning
forward, without the chain moving, when shes drifting or accelerating in reverse.
On the left half of the wheel, she connected an altered machine gear-piece,
which turns toward the chain the length of the wheel is turning.
The use of pedal-powered generator is not a new technology, however
connecting it into a bicycle to produce the electricity is just recently being able to
interest some researchers. This technology is being significant because of the
benefits from it. Creating this technology makes a lot of sense in producing
electricity.

This study aims to produce electricity on pedal-powered generator. The

study is simple yet it is helpful for us. The pedal-powered generator can produce
by as much as 100 watts of continuous output by a normal person. An athlete
can produce as much as 300-400 watts of continuous output. This study can also
make a person using this technology to be physically fit.
B. Statement of the Problem
This study aims to design a pedal-powered generator.
Specifically, the following questions will be answered:
1. What appliances can be powered with this machine?
2. Can this machine be helpful in conserving electricity?
3. How much output power could be produced with this machine?

C. Objectives of the Study

General Objectives:
This study aims to design a pedal-powered generator.
Specific Objectives:
-

To test if it can power home appliances.

To design a machine that can be helpful in conserving electricity.

To test how much output can the machine produce.

D. Significance of the Study

This technology is helpful in conserving electricity. Nowadays, we

experience a shortage in electricity and this machine can be helpful in producing
a renewable energy. The machine can be used in powering some home
appliances at the same time youll be exercising.
Global warming is one of our major concerns, such as greenhouse gasses
that affect our ozone layer. This project can reduce the use of vehicles that emits
greenhouse gasses and let us store energy while travelling.
E. Scope and Limitation
The main objective of this study is to design a pedal-powered generator.
The power that would be produced can power up some home appliances. A
person can produce about 100 watts of continuous output. By this we could light
up a 100-watt incandescent bulb for an hour.
However, the power that it can produce is limited. Some appliances that
use more electricity cant power up by this machine.

Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature and Studies
A. Related Literature
We know that the law on conservation of energy states that, energy cannot be
created nor destroyed but can be transformed from one form to another. According to
Katoch (2012), humans are able to generate approximately 150W of power while riding

bicycle. If we can make use of this energy, we would be able to power many electronic
devices. Nowadays, we know that many of people who go to the gym uses stationary
bike as a means for losing weight. Also there are quite a number of people here in the
Philippines that uses bicycle as a mode of transportation. Thats why generating power
from the energy we release can make quite a difference to the world instead of
continuing wasting our limited resources.
Power generated by pedaling can be converted from mechanical to electrical
energy by using either dynamo or alternator. Small powered lighting devices can be
charged using dynamo and can be used in the night by students for study purposes.
This principle can be extended to power mobiles, iPods, laptops etc.
Power can be also generated from the rotation of the wheels of alternator
vehicles like bikes and cars, where there is a possibility of generating more power. The
generated power can be either used in the same vehicle or can be stored in a battery
for powering some other devices. Riding bicycle helps in maintaining a good physic and
along with it power can be also generated (Katoch, 2012).
There are various renewable energy sources such solar, wind, hydropower etc.
Developing and exploiting renewable energy sources using modern conversion
technologies can be highly responsive to national and international policy goals
formulated because of environmental, social, and economic opportunities, objectives,
and concerns. The following are the enumerated advantages of renewable sources of
energy.

 Diversifying energy carriers for the production fuels, electricity, and heat;
enhancing energy security; and reducing the long-run price of fuels from
conventional sources;

Reducing

pollution,

environmental

emissions, and

safety risks

from

conventional energy sources that damage human health, natural systems, crops,
and materials;
Mitigating greenhouse gas emissions down to levels that can be sustained;
Improving access to clean energy sources and conversion technologies,
thereby helping to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) while taking
advantage of the local availability of renewables; and
Reducing dependence on and minimizing spending on imported fuels
(Turkenburg, 2011, p. 77).
In the above enumerated examples of advantages that can be driven from
renewable sources of energy, we can infer that the bottom line of it is that we can help
solving environmental problems the most, not to mention that by doing so, in the long
run the one who will really benefit is the human population.

But while renewable

sources are basically free and unlimited, it has its disadvantages. The first disadvantage
is the cost. Although the energy from renewable sources is most often available for
free, renewable energy conversion technologies are often quite capital-intensive...
(Turkenburg, 2011). This can make renewable sources less attractive, especially when
high discount rates are applied, depending on the level of investments needed as well
as governmental interventions. The market for renewable sources are also few thus
making it hard to market unlike nonrenewable sources.

For example, people use fossil fuels, which are non-renewable source of energy.
These resources are very expensive but many people invest on extracting these fuels
because theres a market of it. The problem with nonrenewable sources would also
contain market acceptance, since many people are not yet used to the idea of using
renewable sources. For instance in the use of solar panels, many people believe in the
idea that every panel costs a lot but only produces a small volt of energy, which is true.
Further study is needed to develop the technology so that itll cost less but will provide a
larger quantity of volt of energy. Even after it is developed, it has to be marketed to
eliminate the belief that its costly but not that useable. If that can be improved, many
people from tropical countries like our country will benefit because we know that we
have a high temperature in here but since every square inch of solar panel is still costly,
and many people are not yet ready to invest for it were still using costly fuels and other
nonrenewable sources to have an electricity. Thats why people have to be practical and
wise. There is a need for cheap, renewable energy source that will not contribute to the
pollution.
As long as we are pedaling and the system is working fine, we can get the power
whenever needed. Power generation using bicycle is very cheap and eco-friendly. Even
though people have been using pedal power for various day-to-day chores, generating
electricity from pedaling was not in vogue until few decades back. Today dynamo
equipped bicycles are common which power the incandescent headlights during night.
The rotational energy that is generated when the tire rotates because of the
application of force on the pedals can be used in two ways. This energy can also be
used in dynamo/alternator, which is then converted to electrical energy. Rotational

energy of the tire can be used to pump water out from the well, to drive a washing
machine, to operate blender/grinder etc. These applications can be of very great use in
un-electrified places. Refrigerators can also be powered by pedaling, which are used to
preserve the food during a bicycle trip. Pedal powered pump can pump water from wells
and bore wells, which are very deep and can be used for irrigation and drinking water
purposes. In pedal powered washing machine, the plastic barrel rotates as we pedal.
Thus, water consumption can be also reduced. Using exercise bikes also power can be
generated. Particularly for people living in cities, it is an added advantage that no
separate time is needed and along with exercise, our effort will not go waste (Koch,
2012, p. 5- 6).
The concept of this study is from the idea showed above on just how much
energy people are wasting unconsciously. It would help the problem regarding the
scarcity in the energy resources if we could, in our own ways produce our own energy
because time will surely come where we will find ourselves limited to the resources we
are using now. Above example also shows how the pedaling works to generate power
from the system. As it is, the power generated may not be as large and may not be used
in running a television or an electric fan but surely an hour worth of pedaling can provide
us energy that can at least charge a phone into full battery. Surely, if the amount of
energy will be accumulated, it can provide enough power to run a small system. Further
study and research are needed for the development of running a larger system from
pedal.
In physics, we define power as the rate or doing work. Work, in physics is done
only when a force is applied to a body and moves it. Work is the product of the force

and displacement resulting from application of force. (Silverio, 2013, p. 128). She also
stated that the defining equation of power is work done or force applied to the object
multiplied by displacement over time (p. 129). For example, the power rating of a
person refers to how fast chemical energy can be transformed by the body into
mechanical energy. Valdez (2006) also stated how the unit used for power was derived:
In the English system, power is expressed as ft. x lb./ s and is expressed in
horsepower (hp). Horsepower is widely used to express the power of large machines.
The earliest use of steam engines was to pump water from mines. This work had
previously been done by horses, so the power of any engine was estimated as equal to
that of many horses. The conversion factors for the units of power in the English system
are:

1 hp= 746 watts, 1 hp= 550ft. x lb/s, 1 kW= 1,000 watts (p. 189).
Work and energy are interrelated, not only in physics but also in real life. For

example, in our daily diet we accumulate energy through taking in foods that were
stored in our body.
The total percentage of body weight that is fat ranges between 15 and 25 percent
for males and 25 to 35 percent for females. This amount of energy from fats that can be
stored in the body is 30 to 60 times that of the amount obtain from carbohydrates.
These data indicate that to maintain a good figure, one should have a diet that has a
low fat content.
Studies made on fat metabolism and exercise show that during prolonged light to
moderate exercise, there is a progressive increase in the absolute amount of fat
oxidized. This means that more energy from fat is released by the body. The studies

also showed that total fat combustion is at a maximum during moderately intense
exercise and becomes nil during very heavy exercise. (Valdez, 2006, p. 191- 192).
In light with this, pedal power generator can serve a dual purpose for an
individual. Not only a person can produce power for simple uses but an individual will
also benefit from because at the same time they also burn calories while pedaling that
will help them maintain a healthier and longer life.

B. Related Studies
The proponents primarily chose the topic because of the abundant resources around
us, and resources are one of the most important factors to consider before conducting a

research or study. The proponents were able to found out that there are a lot of studies
before that is related to the one presented now.
Facelli (2009) conducted a research on how to crank generators to produce
electrical energy. On that time, one of the major problems of U.S.A. was energy. And its
still one of the major concerns of the world. He stated that there must be another option
than clean coal technology, and investment in renewable energy sources such as wind
and hydroelectric power. Wind, water and steam turbines generate energy using natural
kinetic sources to rotate drive shafts connected to electric generators. He came up to
the answer, it is foot pedals. Many Americans nowadays are spending their day sitting at
a desk. Instead of just sitting, there should be something that they can do to be more
productive, that is pedalling. Accountants, attorneys and academics could be winding
their legs under the desk as they work. Even students could do pedalling while they are
studying and listening. Imagine, if every desk, office chair and boardroom were
equipped by pedals we could get millions of kilowatt hours of electricity per day. Also
consider exercise facilities like treadmills stationary bikes could be harnessing energy if
equipped with a small generator.
There is a physics professor that compute the output energy of a single working
person. He estimates that an office worker could generate at least one kilowatt of
electricity per day pedalling a small sub-desk generator. When we consider the total
number of office worker and annual work days we are talking about the potential for
billions of kilowatt hours generated annually from human movement alone. That is a big
number to consider. At that point consider the worldwide potential outcomesIndia's

call centre alone could power the world if outfitted with pedals. What if we get those
telemarketers winding.
Certainly, there will be cynics. The foundation needed to introduce every one of
those pedals and generators would be stunning, rivals will most likely recommend.
Without a doubt, it will take sooner or later and a touch of R&D, you just have to leave
them to the engineers and smart people like Bill Gates. Maybe in no time they could
build a portable pedal-powered generator that can be easily installed in every desk.
Obesity is also one of the concern in the America. About 35% of population in
America is obese. And this research also aims to exercise one body. It is like hitting two
birds in one stone. We are generating electrical energy and at the same time we are
exercising to have good health and a fit body.
Gulland (2008) conducted a study about pedal-powered generator. He was just
curious if he can turn his workouts in to a useful energy. He found out that an efficient
bike generator pedalled by a reasonably fit person can produce by up to 100 watts of
electricity. Also, an experienced biker can produce by up to 400 watts of electricity.
Pedal power is a fun idea that does generate usable amounts of energy, but it's
easy to understand why a human-powered device can be viewed as a trinket without a
meaningful role in a households energy supply. The critical factor to making pedal
power a viable option is matching expectations with realistic output.
A pedal-powered generator can produce a direct current (DC), yet you can buy a
battery pack that incorporates an inverter so you can control family unit machines that
keep running on substituting current (AC).

The pedal-powered generator cant produce as much as a wind turbine or a

photovoltaic array it can create usable force that adds to your general vitality needs. On
the off chance that you utilize less power in the first place, the sum created by pedal
force can meet a bigger percent of your energy needs.
David Butcher's experience is a valid example. Each morning he goes out to his
carport and pedals a stationary bicycle for no less than a half hour. The exertion he puts
into his workout isn't squandered on grating as it is in many wellness centre. Each pedal
stroke makes power that is sent down a link to his office in the house to control a few
little electrical gadgets. Pedal power energizes his electric razor and his mobile phone,
runs a PC screen, and occasionally runs the compressor that finish off the gaseous
tension in the feels sick of his vehicles. David likewise runs the bicycle generator
specifically to a water pump at whatever point vital for circulating air through and
separating the little patio fishpond.
Most of us are pay our electricity for 4.8php per kilowatt-hour including taxes and
surcharges. By using this pedal-powered generator we could save 4.8php. Not as much
as it looks like but imagine it doing it 3 hours a day for a month. We could save about
400php per month.
This pedal-powered generator can be used by marketing firms as a green image
for human-powered products. It can be used to promote against global warming.
Gulland also pointed out on the fact that this generator can be used for exercising. He
gave an example about a man whos really dedicated on human-powered electricity.
This man has all of the human-powered mechanisms available. He uses this
mechanisms for exercising and using all the electricity that he gather from there to

power up all of his appliances in his house. This story inspires Gulland to research more
about human-powered electricity. The electricity that it output maybe little but he still
thinks that there could be a human-powered mechanisms that can be made to produce
high amount of energy to be more meaningful in our daily lives.
At the point when researchers begin contemplating parasitic vitality gathering,
they take a gander at the body in an unexpected way, truly looking at it from stem to
gudgeon. They atomize it, picking through it as though for mineral rights. They peer at
our organic chemistry and biomechanics, attempting to gure out exactly the amount of
can be tapped, and where. Thad Starner (2009) a scientist in Georgia Tech discovered
that there are 390 megajoules of energy stored in the body fat of the average person
(the equivalent of 93, 150 caloriesabout the amount in 283 jelly doughnuts). If only
you could get that energy out, and store it and distribute itbatteries per se could be
eliminated. Thats when he started making a research about this human-powered
energy. He wants to come up with a prototype that can convert all of our wasted energy
into a renewable energy and stores it like a battery.
A great example of this research is done in Green Microgym in Portland, Oregon
a stationary bicycle (75 watts) supply the electricity to help run the place like ceiling
fans, LCD TVs and stereos are all people powered. Thats the future of people-powered
technology if we focus on this studies. People-powered has a lot of future in energy this
could also be part of renewable energy if we could build some bigger studies involving
people-powered technologies.

C. Conceptual Framework

Human Bicycle
Motor Diode
Generator
Battery Inverter

Proces
s
Pedali
ng

Input

Pedal
Power
Genera
tor

Outpu
t

The necessary input in making a pedal powered generator are human, bicycle,
motor, diode, generator, battery and inverter. Through pedaling, the input will be able to
produce mechanical energy that will be later converted into electrical energy. The output
of this will be a pedal powered generator.

D. Theoretical Framework
Electrome
Electrome
chanical
chanical
Theory
Theory

Piezoelectr
Piezoelectr
ic
ic Effect
Effect

Law of
Conservati
on of
Energy

Mechanic
Mechanic
al
Energy
al Energy

Electric
al
Energy

Law of conservation of energy "In physics, the law of conservation of energy

states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, just transformed from one form to

another" (Valdez, 2006). The meaning of this is we can only convert one form of energy
into another to create another kind of energy. For example, a burning candle provides a
light energy but the light energy can be converted to heat energy. Heat energy can be
converted to another form like electrical energy.
Elecrtromechanical Conversion Theory Electromechanical conversion theory
allows to establish expressions for torque in terms of machine electrical variables,
generally the currents due displacement of the mechanical system (Krause, 2013).
Mechanical Energy Mechanical energy refers to the sum of potential energy and
kinetic energy associated with the motion and position of an object (Author, year). In the
study mechanical energy will be produced by pedaling.
Electrical Energy Electrical energy is the energy that is caused by moving electric
charges, denoted by voltage when it is per unit (Silverio,2013). It is also a form of kinetic
energy and the faster the flow of charges, the higher the voltage.
Piezoelectric Effect The piezoelectric effect refers to the ability of certain
materials to "Generate an electric charge in response to applied mechanical stress"
( Silverio,2013).

Chapter 3
Methodology

This chapter presents the design phases of a project and the hardware
components of it. Those that were included in this chapter helps in understanding how
the machine work.
A. Preliminary Design

Rectifier

Capacitor

Regulator

Pedal
Generator
Battery

B. Requirements Definitions
Before checking how the pedal-powered generator works, one should
understand the components that make it up.
The first component that is really needed is the bicycle. The bicycle will be
used as the main source of energy. It is where the electricity will came from.
When a man starts pedalling the bicycle the chemical energy into the persons

body is converted into mechanical energy, then it will be converted again into
electrical energy in the motor.
Second, will be the motor. Amperes Law states that an electric charged
passing through a looped circuit produces a magnetic field. Interaction of the
internal electromagnet with a surrounding fixed magnet produces the attractive
and repulsive force associated with the poles of the magnet and causes rotation.
Thus, the motor uses electrical energy to create rational motion but the pedalpowered generator uses mechanical energy and converts it into electrical energy.
The motor can go about as a generator if the individual's accelerating conquers
the electromotive force of the battery.
Third, will be the Diode. A diode is a particular electronic segment with two
terminals called the anode and the cathode. An anode is a terminal through
which conventional current streams into an enraptured electrical gadget. A
cathode is the terminal from which an ordinary current leaves an enraptured
electrical gadget. An diode allows current to flow in only one direction (from
anode to cathode). Without it the motor would cause the tire to spin instead of the
other way around.
In electricity era, a generator is a gadget that changes over mechanical
energy to electrical energy for utilization in an outside circuit. The source of
mechanical energy may shift generally from a hand wrench to an inward ignition
motor. Generators give almost the majority of the force for electric power grids.
Michael Farraday discovered that if an object or material that conducts electricity
passes through a magnetic field, then an electric current will begin to flow
through that material. As such, the rotating tire causes the motor shaft to rotate,
which produces a current through the leads.

Battery is a mechanism that converts stored chemical energy into

electrical energy. The electricity generated from the pedal-powered generator can
be stored in a battery.
We cant use direct current in our appliances and this pedal-powered
generator produces direct current. In order to use the electricity produced form
pedalling, the direct current should be converted into alternative current through
the use of Inverter. The process of converting direct current to alternative current
is known as rectification.

C. Designing Procedures
In able to come up with the best pedal-powered generator that could be
made, we will first design the generator in order to have an overview of the
prototype. This will make the prototyping procedure much easier.
At first, we will not include the wheel of the bike in order to lessen the
friction that it could make thus it could lessen the power that it could create. We
will start designing the prototype by starting with the wood that will serve as the
foundation of the prototype. This will hold the bicycle in the place. After that, we
will design the bicycle with our own preference. In our design we will use a bigger
bicycle. We preferred it because we know that these pedal-powered generators
will be often used by the elders, and then the prototype should be larger in order
to be used efficiently. After that we will design the parts and its order. At first, we
would like to have the motor/generator to be set after the bicycle, then the
diodes. Next will be the Inverter and lastly will be the battery. The order should be

fixed correctly in order to come up with the best results we could ever make.
There should be a gap/space between each component; these gaps will make
sure that there will be no wiring problems in the prototype. Proper spacing
between components is a must. In the design we will have a 2cm of gap between
each component.
That will be the whole procedure in making the design of our pedalpowered generator.

Chapter 4
Results and Discussion

We successfully designed a prototype of pedal powered generator. We come up

with the design that is most suited in the pedal powered generator.
The design will provide all of the following:

A power for at least 4 hours from a full charge battery

Ability of driving parts specifically from generator if there should be a case of a

dead battery
Phone charging capability

Climate proof or effortlessly moveable for ensured storage

It has a marker for the remaining limit of the battery
It has a pointer that the bicycle is being accelerated sufficiently quick to charge

the battery
Being able to expand to other 12 VDC applications through cigarette attachment

connectors
Coordinated and flexible, low power light source of no less than 500 lumens
generally

In designing the prototype we had so many factors to consider. In order to come

up with the best design that this prototype can be, in making this design we consider
some key factors: convenience, compatibility and stability. We faced some decisions in
making the design of the prototype.
We had decided to remove the wheel to lessen the friction that it could create
and lessen the output of the electricity too. This would mean that we could capitalize on
the electricity that this bicycle could create. For the stability of the pedal powered
generator in our design we include the wood that would hold the bicycle in position. This
serves as the foundation of the pedal powered generator.
We exactly designed the prototype in specific order to avoid the incompatibility of
the materials that will be used in the prototype. This will make the prototype in order.
This arrangement will help us easily recognize the parts of the prototype.

The design of the prototype also deals with the convenience of the one who will
use it. So, we had decided that well make the design more comfortable so that it will be
easily used. The purpose of this study is to design the most efficient pedal powered
generator that can be used in our daily lives to support us from consumption of
electricity.

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