How It Works
The Pedal Power display comes with a bike stand equipped with a 12-volt generator. The presenter or audience can bring a bike to put on the Pedal Power bike stand. The bike rider pedals the bicycle, which generates electricity to power the display board.
The display board comes with incandescent, fluorescent, and LED light bulbs, as well as plugs for different types of appliances. A fan, radio, and hairdryer, a Btu lab and a portable solar panel come with the standard display.
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The bike rider becomes the "power plant" for the display board, pedaling to generate enough electricity to power the different types of lights and appliances as the presenter turns them on. As power consumption on the display board is increased, the bike becomes harder and harder to pedal. Eventually, the "power plant" experiences a "brown out" and later a "power outage from being overloaded.
This activity leads into a variety of discussion topics on energy efficiency and energy conservation, including comparison of CFL, LED, and Incandescent light efficiency. The included lesson plans and presentations cover a variety of related topics and activities, tailored for community education outreach programs, as well as school presentations and classroom lessons.
There's even an energy audit workshop lesson plan, designed for educators and kids in grades 5 and up, that is modeled after the energy audits that are often done for commercial businesses by electric utilities and Certified Energy Managers. This popular lesson plan takes energy education beyond the classroom to engage teachers, students, and community business owners in discussions of energy efficiency and conservation.
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Optional accessories include the Circuit Breaker Electrical Safety demonstration, as well as the Pedal Power Blender.
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