It is a bicycle like any other, but with the ability to generate enough energy to light a house or recharge an electronic device.
The system basically consists of a hub dynamo attached to the front wheel, a power transmission system, a battery and a solar panel. All of this is fitted together in the prototype they have at the university.
“The energy generated by riding the bike is transferred by this cable and carried in a box. This box contains an electronic circuit developed by the students of Energy, Mechanics and Electronics, and what is basically in this little box is a rectifier, an energy charging system and a battery bank.”said Eunice Villicaña, director of the Energy Engineering and Mechanical Engineering programs.
As this is a prototype, the battery is located inside a basket and a small lamp has been attached to see that the battery is actually charged.
The project is being taken up by the students with a version that includes a small solar panel, which will allow the battery to continue to be recharged even when the bike is stopped.
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The teacher explained to this newspaper that if it only depended on the solar panel, it would require an hour and a half of exposure to the sun to have a full charge, although it also depends on the level of radiation. Another case is when driving the vehicle. “We would need the bike to be rolling for an hour or at the speed necessary to generate the power and charge the battery”he indicated.
On the other hand, the energy generated has the capacity to recharge small devices such as radios or telephones through a port on its battery bank.
Designed for schoolchildren
One of the purposes of this project is to ensure that it can be used by minors. The size of the bike is considerable, so that it can be used by a student of about eight years old or a high school student.
Before the pandemic, the bike was taken to Cusco, where a first batch of eight bikes was delivered so that they could be used to generate electricity. After the bike ride to school, the battery can be used to generate light so that students can study in peace.
At that time, they worked with an NGO that donated the bicycles to be adapted. Now, the project has been taken up by the students and the solar energy power system has been added.
This is a project that could benefit families in areas where there is still no electricity system and who have to travel long distances, such as when they have to go to school: students can dismantle the battery bank to connect it to an LED lamp.
In total, the investment that could be made for this system would be between 100 and 120 dollars, said teacher Villicaña, “Considering that there is already a bicycle, there is no need to do any further modifications other than having the dynamo, installing the spokes, and the electronic system is not that expensive either.”
In this way, technology and innovation proposed in university classrooms could be an answer to also help many Peruvian families.