OneLife Leisure, a fitness and health club based in Livingston, wanted to explore the opportunity of creating its own renewable energy source; helping the company to demonstrate its commitment to the environment but at the same time also providing a unique offering to its members.
Through a partnership with Edinburgh Napier University and Edinburgh College, OneLife Leisure received funding and support to undertake a project focused on creating renewable energy from a novel source.
The project utilised the expertise of academic staff within Stevenson’s electrical engineering department to assess the feasibility of converting human kinetic energy, generated through the use of self-powered exercise equipment (such as bikes and cross-trainers), into electricity.
A prototype was developed which incorporated an innovative training device, with a range of individual incentives put in place for users to achieve energy generation targets.
The research and testing of a prototype has enabled OneLife Leisure to identify the potential benefits of developing the device further, including:
- Achieving significant cost savings
- Demonstrating its commitment to the environment
- Providing a unique offering to its members by incorporating energy generation targets as part of their individual training plan.
I would definitely recommend working with Universities. We would not have been able to achieve this without their help or the funding available.
Owner, OneLife Leisure
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