Re: Do not feed the Dinosaur!

02-06-2007, 11:14 AM

In article <1170516998.811725.59930@s48g2000cws.googlegroups. com>,
donquijote1954 <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>
>I hear about a dimming theory somewhere, and must be somehow related
>to it... Don't you realize pedal power is renewable? Not a bad idea
>for lazy fat Americans...
>
>"The Pedal-a-Watt bike was designed to keep the user aerobically fit
>while creating some extra power that may be sent to a bank of
>batteries. These batteries may then be tapped at a later time, after
>dark for example, when the energy is needed to power lights or
>appliances. The Pedal-a-Watt bicycle is an excellent addition to an
>existing battery system that may already be charged from the
>photovoltaic panels, 120 VAC grid power or wind power. The concept
>behind the Pedal-a-Watt bicycle is that electricity can be created
>from human effort and then stored in batteries.

Depending on the bike (they vary a lot; I'm not sure if it's
calibration or internal efficiency, probably both) I can put out
somewhere between a tenth to a quarter kilowatt for an hour. Then I'm
done. And I'm in fairly good shape. Your average fat-ass will put
out maybe 50 watts for 10 minutes. There's not enough power there to
make it worthwhile capturing it.

>addition, LED lighting and high efficiency fluorescent lighting now
>allow 200 watts to go a long way. A typical 25 watt fluorescent light
>bulb, which replaces a 100 watt incandescent bulb, will last 8 hours
>on 200 watts worth of power. LEDs (light emitting diodes) are even
>more efficient and will last days on 200 watts worth of power."

Anyone who can't distinguish between energy and power isn't worth
listening to on that issue.
--
There's no such thing as a free lunch, but certain accounting practices can
result in a fully-depreciated one.