Taking electricity for granted

[SternWake]

We all grew up with these magical electrical sockets.  Just plug things in and magically we have heat, cold, all the luxuries of modern life.

When moving into a rolling house, many start getting a clue as to how much electricity they once used, and no longer can.  Imagine if one had to actually power the devices themselves by riding a stationaly bike.

[video=youtube]

Think of this when you fire up your 2Kw inverter to run your Mr coffee in the morning.

 

[FALCON]

Yeah. for a few years I was bicycle racing. I had a power meter on my bike that I would use for managing workouts, testing fitness, etc. It made life more interesting to understand how much work it actually takes to power certain things. And, in some cases like LED lights, how much you can get from an incredibly small amount of work.

 

[mayble]

Boy, that dude must really love toast!

 

[John61CT]

I lived off-grid for nearly a decade, propane for fridge and lighting, music from a swapped out car battery recharged on weekly trips into town.

Forty years later I still feel grateful for the god-like power of flipping a switch and "let there be light!", or just turning a tap and out comes (clean!) water.

And let's not forget these are all still luxuries to most of our fellow humans, my in-laws only got running water in the last decade. . .

 

[WalkaboutTed]

Yum yum! I'll take one of those Roberts anytime!

 

[Trebor English]

700 Watts is almost 1 horsepower, more into the pedals to turn the generator.  Amazing.

 

[slynne]

Yeah. I guess it is a good idea to get solar to power my future rig instead of a bike generator. Thanks!

 

[ArtW]

unless you want really muscular legs

 

[frater secessus]

Holy crap. His legs are bigger than my waist.

 

[jimindenver]

I added 435w of solar to the rig today, that's over half a Robert right there.

 

[jonsun]

that guy cant not be on roids.