Understanding the scale of energy production and consumption can be daunting. Today's FT provides a useful metric to get a sense of the magnitude of the energy challenge:
Sounds cool . . . until you see how long it takes to charge a phone battery:Mobile phone manufacturers have been struggling for years to find ways for users to keep their handsets charged while on the move. On Thursday, Nokia unveiled its latest solution: a pedal-powered battery charger.
Cyclists will be able to plug their handsets into a charger mounted on their handlebars and connected to a dynamo that harnesses electricity from the wheels.
It would take two-and-a-half hours for a cyclist riding at 15km an hour to fully charge a battery, the Finnish group said.Who would want such a device?
The product could prove popular among the environmentally conscious as a carbon neutral way to charge a mobile phone, but its main appeal is likely to be in developing countries, where access to electricity is limited.Given the choice, most everyone will just plug their phone into the wall to recharge it. Of course, if you don't have a choice, any access to energy technologies may certainly be welcome. Energy access is key.
13 comments:
Why not just take the environmentally conscious gadflies, shake them up, and harvest the light from their glowing tails to power solar cell underwear?
This points up that there are people that let other people do their critical thinking for them, and are enamored with packaging titles like "environmental" or "green."
"but its main appeal is likely to be in developing countries, where access to electricity is limited."
Telling Africa to get on its bike to save the planet just highlights how ignorant the environmental movement is.
I do remember a clinic in rural Uganda having severe problems keeping drugs cool in a fridge that was powered by a solar panel. It was donated by a western environmental group, but the local health officials regarded it as a piece of useless technology.
I wonder how many useless eco-products can be sold to the energy hungry poor.
You should never doubt the ingenuity of fools.
Just think of all the green jobs that could be created by paying people to ride bikes and produce electricity. It makes as much as sense as the stuff they are already doing.
This is a silly example, because the solution actually uses very poor technology (a tire-drive generator). That means that there's roughly an order of magnitude gap between this device and what's possible. Even so, useful charging time is much less than FT cites.
http://www.allaboutsymbian.com/news/item/11624_Pedal_power-Nokia_Bicycle_Char.php
With an efficient generator, a pedaling person can easily run a laptop and several other devices. That doesn't mean we should all do that, but why automatically scorn a hugely successful company's foray into a niche market?
I have a feeling that a lot of grumblers would greatly benefit from a daily bike ride; after a while they might even find it easier to bend over to reach the wall plug.
-4-Tom Fiddaman
There is no "scorn" in this post. I all for any and every technology that will expand energy access.
Roger - The scorn is in the comments, not your post. Sorry for the ambiguity.
-6-Tom Fiddaman
Ah, sorry! Thanks for the clarification.
I ride 30 minutes each way to work on my bike every day (at about 20kph). I also only run my phone battery down about 1/2 way over the course of a day. So this technology would be perfect for me. The first few commenters really need to get out, have a beer, and talk to some real people... soon.
So someone actually thinks two and a half hours of huffing and puffing on a bicycle is CO2 free ?
Some doesn't understand human respiration.
But then if they are bright enough to buy into the CO2 driven global warming thingy, they are probably bright enough to spend their money on such devices.
Have fun kiddies, feel good about yourselves, fill yer boots fool of moral superiority.
You are a most entertaining bunch.
Whilst there may not be a demand for a device that fully recharges, there may be one for a device that extends the range.
Here's a wrist device from Dyson that works on heat. I'm guessing something using kinetic energy is viable.
Also a potential heartbeat based device.
Mobile indeed. I still think for home use our aluminium can charger was a lot smarter since these cans are abundant and collected already. A Mauretanian politician gave us the idea.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Oy_iVscnJQ
Alas no investors....at that time if it wasn't hydrogen it just wasn't trendy. Mind you I'm still wondering why alum cans are much better distributed over there than fuel is - even in oil producing countries.
"The product could prove popular among the environmentally conscious as a carbon neutral way to charge a mobile phone, but its main appeal is likely to be in developing countries, where access to electricity is limited."
This thing will sell like hot cakes. Battery life is a problem for various modern conveniences serious bicyclists like to take along like a GPS.
A GPS is a more important accessory for a bicyclist then it is for someone riding in a car since they can't use the highway.
Keeping it charged long enough to get to ones destination and then home is a challenge since most have a battery life of 2 hours.
#12 Harrywr2
You are talking about a group of people who represent a tiny fraction of society.
More importantly, if it is game changing as you claim you will see an increase in the number of cyclists who start using these gadgets and plug them into the grid before they ride.
IOW - this innovation could lead to increased power demand - not less. A classic example of the Jevons paradox.
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