EUGENE,
Ore. -- (May 6, 2009) - Humans put out countless hours of energy everyday
through activities like walking, running and cycling. What would happen if that
energy was harnessed and used to power computers, light offices and heat buildings?

The
University of Oregon will find out when 20 elliptical machines are retrofitted in
the Student Recreation Center to capture kinetic energy and feed it to the university's
power grid. The project is a collaboration between the UO Office of
Sustainability, the rec center and Eugene Water and Electric Board.

The
machines will be outfitted with devices, called ReCardio, which will capture
the kinetic energy created when used and convert it to electricity. Next it is fed to a central converter and
transferred to the local power grid. Each machine will have a display to show
the user how many watts-hours were
generated during the workout and the types of things that electricity can
power.

"The
ReCardio project generates a small amount of clean, renewable power on-site,
but its most lasting impact will be the educational opportunity it provides for
the thousands of students who use the rec center daily," said Steve Mital,
director of the UO Office of Sustainability. "Students can interact
with renewable power in a visceral way and develop a new understanding of the
meaning and value of a kilowatt. The Office of Sustainability's mission
is to shrink our footprint and raise awareness so it's great fit and I'm
glad we could partner with the rec center on this project."

It is
estimated that the 20 machines will be used by students six to eight hours each
day, generating approximately 6,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity annually. This
is nearly enough to supply a small energy efficient house in Eugene with 100
percent of its power needs for a full year.

The
new machines will be unveiled at 3 p.m. on Monday, May 11, in the UO Student Recreation
Center, 1320 E. 15th Ave. An elliptical will be hooked up to both an
incandescent and compact fluorescent light bulb. Attendees will have the chance
to hop on the machine to see how much work it takes to light each bulb.

"Being
able to convert human power into electricity fits in with our mission to support
a healthy campus community and demonstrate renewable energy technologies. We
continue to look at ways of using sustainable energy," said Bryan Haunert,
associate director of facilities and operations for the Department of Physical
Education and Recreation. "This is a good example of student groups coming
up with an idea that makes a difference."

The idea
to purchase ReCardio was suggested independently by a group of students from
the business school and a graduate student working in the Energy Management
Office. The 20 devices are paid for by a $7,000 EWEB Partners in Education
Grant, $12,000 from the UO Office of Sustainability and $2,880 from the UO Rec
Center advisory board. The costs cover buying the devices and installation.

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