This press release was provided by E-Gen LLC. The Club Industry editorial staff was not involved in the creation of this content.
An Orange County company, E-Gen, LLC has engineered through the previous obstacles and long-standing barriers that have hindered the development of a pedal-powered bicycle into a more useful source of renewable green energy.
E-Gen's CEO, Steve Kramer says: "Charging a cell phone, running a laptop computer, or lighting up a few light bulbs were the limitations of the first generation of fitness equipment power generators. Our PowerStation 3000 is a no-nonsense power dynamo, capable of providing quantities of electricity sufficient enough to power a home or small office building."
The electricity harnessed from the bike can be routed to an inverter/charger system for "on-demand" use during a grid failure as a risk management solution or can be connected directly to the power grid. The system can be programmed to automatically go "off grid" and operate during the periods of time that the utility companies charge a premium—during times of peak energy usage.
The inverter/charger and battery bank components of the E-Gen system are the core of a smart energy management system and can be used independently of the bike to help the consumer save money every day.
The biggest benefactors to this quantum leap in technology will be gyms and fitness centers, colleges and universities, and even the military. Anywhere where there are quantities of exercise bikes in use, they can be linked together to collectively harness the human energy being expended for workouts. E-Gen is offering complimentary "facility evaluations" to any gym or fitness center that wants to make the switch to green.
The company's website, PedalVoltage.com, has a link to an evaluation sheet that interested facilities can use to assess their capabilities of generating revenue from the surplus energy created. E-Gen provides a turn-key solution to club owners who want to find innovative new ways to lighten our ecological footprint while increasing profits. They will even arrange for the purchase of your surplus electricity through a third party broker who in turn issues the facility REC's, or Renewable Energy Credits. There are links on the website to resource information that enables visitors to check on incentive programs offered at state and local levels.
Other links provide specific information offered by the utility companies to learn how homeowners that generate more electricity than they use can sell it back through lead in tariffs and net metering. When you click the switch on the home page, it directs you to the 2014 California Self-Generating Program Handbook containing financial incentives for installing clean, efficient, on-site distributed generation like the PowerStation 3000 produces.
The ROI can be pretty impressive and is dependent on the number of machines at any given facility, the duration of time that riders pedal, and their intensity level.
They have some impressive bells and whistles to keep riders' attention during the workout. The bike integrates with Google Maps "Bike Anywhere" which allows an optional stand and monitor to display available software that interacts the riders' experience with the thrill of actual select courses of the world. A hill simulation with up to a 20 percent incline is in synchronicity with the changing action on the course displayed.
Kramer says: "When we demonstrate to club executives how easy it is for them to implement the change to green and how dramatic the results can be to their bottom line, it will attract a lot of attention in the industry. The added benefit of doing something positive in an ecologically challenged world is just the icing on the cake"
You can call the 800 number for instant information on products and services (800-816-4604).