Human Powered Gym?- Part 1

I was in the gym the other day, when I thought "hang on a minute, I'm on a cycling machine, which is just basically making a wheel turn (the basis of electricity generation). Why can't we use this to power the gym- lights, the tvs, the radio, the air conditioning and the machines themselves?"

I suppose a more reasonable question is:
Is it economically viable to install generators attached to the machines in a gym? Noting that:

1.  Almost certainly new exercise equipment would be required.
2. All the machines aren't going to be used all time, so either you need a backup supply system (if the average energy output isn't as large as the energy requirement) or a method of storing the energy (if the average energy is larger than the energy requirement).
3. Generators require something spinning, preferably constantly. This is fine on a bike, but rowing machines, treadmills and cross-trainers won't be quite as simple.

 As I imagined, I am not the first person to think of this idea (nice as it would have been!). In fact, there is a gym in Portland across the pond which does exactly this:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7796215.stm

There are also gyms in Hong Kong using this concept:

http://www.inhabitat.com/2007/03/08/human-powered-gyms-in-hong-kong/

And, as a blue sky "gym concept" island:


http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/human-powered-workout-gym-concept/

For this last article, I am not so interested in the article itself, but the comments after it.

This is all very interesting, but let's examine (using the figures found on the companies websites, as well as other sources I will mention) the actual numbers.

Introduction

The Issue- Energy.

We all use it, we all need it. At the moment though, we are developing more and more energy-intensive processes: not just the increasingly powerful gadgets that adorn the local technology shops in all their forms, but also heating/cooling, commercial uses (including making the materials needed for those gadgets!), transport, massive data centres and many more. With these increases in electricity usage, we will need, both in the short and long term, better processes to generate electricity.

The purpose of this blog is to explore different ways to approach the problem of energy for the future. This will range from the very small (a smart grid for the home?) to the very large (how about using electric car batteries to store surplus electricity?). I will also think about transport, both for people and freight.

I am a university undergraduate, and as such not an expert in this field. What I lack in in-depth knowledge, however, I make up in enthusiasm, problem solving and ideas. Because of this, I would greatly appreciate any feedback on any ideas contained within this blog- whether it is a company director of a power meter I am testing or just a interested reader.

I have many ideas already on things to write about, so I'll get working on it!