Each rider can control how much renewable energy they are producing based on the resistance level they choose via a control panel on the bike. And the gym can also track how much energy is being produced by each class.
This isn’t the first time Robert Kravitz, owner of Go Green Fitness, has worked to make the city of Orange to become a little greener.
In 2002, he helped introduce the 12,000 square-foot Go Green Plaza, the first commercial green project in Connecticut with a goal to bring more environmental and energy efficient practices to businesses.
Kravitz hopes this that the Go Green Fitness approach to producing clean energy will make a big impact on the community. “We’re offering an exciting new program in which fitness enthusiasts who are environmentally conscious now have an opportunity to make a meaningful contribution to the environment by energizing their workouts,” Robert Kravitz said in a press release. “It makes sense for us to try and make a difference in contributing to a cleaner community and a healthier planet.”
In November of 2007, Jay Whelan, founder and president of The Green Revolution, first came up with the idea while working out on a fitness machine during physical rehabilitation for an injury.
“He realized how much energy we put into a piece of equipment to get the exercise benefit,” Curnyn said. “Then he wondered what happens to all that energy we put into it. After some research, we found out that all that energy that is put into the machine just dissipates as heat. That was the start of the idea, can’t we do something more with the energy we put into exercise.”
Curnyn said that the company is researching the development of generators that could be retrofitted to other exercise equipment like treadmills, stair steppers and elliptical and rowing machines.
He said the company hopes to have the generators for home use in the near future. For now, The Green Revolution is only offering the generators for groups of the bikes because it is easier and more cost efficient to connect multiple bikes to a power grid.
“But we are looking at some of the emerging technology that can make it more affordable for a single bike at home,” he said.
It’s time to get plugged in and start generating energy, while saving money in the process. In Connecticut, Go Green Fitness is turning human energy into clean energy.
Go Green Fitness innovative idea is to use energy generated by 24 exercise bicycles that are connected to the gym’s power grid to help power the workout facility in Orange, Connecticut.
According to Go Green Fitness, a cycling class with an average of 20 riders can produce 3.6 megawatts of energy per year, which is enough energy to power light 72 homes for a month.
An average rider can produce up to 100-130 watts an hour during a workout.
The Green Revolution Inc., a Connecticut-based company, developed the technology used in the generators on each of the indoor cycles that track how much energy is being produced by the riders in the classes at Go Green Fitness.
According to Michael Curnyn, co-founder of The Green Revolution, the generators can be retrofitted to most spin bike models found in gyms and health clubs.