The Generator Bike – a teaching aid of fundamental training experience

A challenging search for new concepts in generating energy is demading competent and skilled action of all energy users while facing the running out of fossile energy resources and a worldwide change of climate.

To gain successful realization of future concepts for energy efficiency as well as for the deployment of renewable energies, many of the young people have to experience a minimum in “basic education of energy technologies” at school.

Success in learning always is highly efficient if the students can deal with the subject in a comprehensive way in theory and practice. Before, “energy” was teached only in an abstract manner, should now be experienced in sensing reality. These basic beliefs werde leading to the development of the “Generator Bike”.

In practicing the first physical exertion by driving the wheel of the ergometer, the students experience practically the volume of power to operate a radio,lighting or warm water supply. So the student can basically observe the line of conduct in saving energy already from the beginning.

Using the Generator Bike, the students are experiencing fundamental practice-related basic knowledge independently. By means of the attached experiment manuals further basics in energy can be evaluated and energy-saving concepts may be deduced and developed. These experiments enable learning in a practice- and experience-oriented way! It’s a creation of a networked understanding of power and its interrelations in only a few lessons.

Standard Equipment:

Generator Bike with 12 volt DC generator		Pic. similar Operator panel with voltage- and ammeter, switch, lights, 12 V plug
Pic. similar Cassette tape deck		Pic. similar Water boiler with temperature display

The following subjects can be carried out by the basic equipment in theory and practice:

• Test exercise: Which energy application needs most of energy?
• Energy efficiency: Strategies in energy-saving and optimization.
• Energiewandler: Energy chain from solar energy and food as energy store over muscular energy and mechanical energy to electrical energy.
• Basic experiment: How much of chocolate needs a student for energy compensation?
• Data collection: Energy quantities for everyday life, power consumption, household heating, air travel, annual power requirement, etc.
• Energy systems comparison: Bicycle – car; train – airplane.

• Arrange the electrical devices in the order of the energy they consume
• Relate the energy parameters to what you have imagined and then experienced
• Distinguish between energy-saving measures according to the effi ciency of these
• Supply various consumers with power from the measuring and switching panel for the generator bike
• Develop an ability to judge energy-related issues by esti-mating, investigating and analysis
• Draw conclusions regarding the use of energy from the results obtained
• Calculate the power and the energy from the values meas-ured for current, voltage and time
• Critically appraise the manual power outputted by a human being
• Calculate the time required to generate one "kWh" using human muscular force
• Measure how hot a defi ned quantity of water becomes over a specifi ed period of time
• Perform energy-related calculations with the measured values
• Assess power conversions in energy systems
• Explain and calculate the energy consumed by an energy-saving lamp and by a conventional fi lament bulb for the same intensity of light
• Correctly assess the potential for saving energy by using energy-saving bulbs compared to using other types of bulbs
• Measure and calculate the difference in the power input-ted at 12 V DC and 230 V AC
• Make suggestions on how energy can be saved when operating consumer electronics
• Physically experience and describe some of the basic principles of electrical engineering

• 12V radio / CD player
• 12V energy-saving lamp and 12V filament bulb
• 12V kettle