On March 7 I continued thinking about renewable energy options for Haiti. Sure, solar energy has been used to power well pumps and could be used for lights. However, I'm not sure solar is the best option because replacement parts would not be readily available on the island of LaGonave.
I have been interested in bicycle powered generators for sometime. Wouldn't it be ironic to power a television with pedal power? What about pedal power in Haiti? I have heard that residents on LaGonave often charge cell phones off of the well pump generators - sometimes to the detriment of the generator and the pump. It is no surprise that in an area with such rugged terrain, cell phones are an important way of staying connected with friends, family, and resources. Thus, the idea of PedGen came about. I decided it would be interesting, fun, and useful to try to make a pedal-powered generator for charging cell phones. Bicycle generators already exist and can be easily purchased online. Even bicycle-powered cell phone chargers exist. My challenge is to create a pedal-powered cell phone charger that can be constructed from parts transported in a suit case or scavenged on LaGonave. The charger must also be durable and able to maintained with scrap parts found on LaGonave.
I have been interested in bicycle powered generators for sometime. Wouldn't it be ironic to power a television with pedal power? What about pedal power in Haiti? I have heard that residents on LaGonave often charge cell phones off of the well pump generators - sometimes to the detriment of the generator and the pump. It is no surprise that in an area with such rugged terrain, cell phones are an important way of staying connected with friends, family, and resources. Thus, the idea of PedGen came about. I decided it would be interesting, fun, and useful to try to make a pedal-powered generator for charging cell phones. Bicycle generators already exist and can be easily purchased online. Even bicycle-powered cell phone chargers exist. My challenge is to create a pedal-powered cell phone charger that can be constructed from parts transported in a suit case or scavenged on LaGonave. The charger must also be durable and able to maintained with scrap parts found on LaGonave.