Three floors of the human powered student building are taken up by the central human power plant, which is run by the entire community. How long the students need to exercise on these floors, depends only on their demand for energy.
Communal Exercise Machines
The energy that's produced on the power generating floors is used to heat the building, warm the water, run the refrigerators, flush the toilets, and power the lights and other devices in the communal spaces, among other things. On the other hand, electricity used in the individual student rooms is generated in the rooms themselves.
The power generating floors are equipped with various individual and communal exercise machines. Most power is produced by large treadmills and capstans, which are each operated by up to a dozen people at the same time. Pets are welcome to join the effort.
The power producing students are encouraged by live musicians. The use of music during physical labour -- to pass the time, to coordinate timing, or to protest against work conditions -- has a very long tradition.
Operating treadmills and capstans requires strength and endurance, but also skills and team work. Students must be coordinated to run these machines efficiently and safely. Especially treadmills can be dangerous. By introducing an element of danger, the human powered student community benefits from the risky behavior of young adults.
Electricity Production
The human power plant can combine the power output of 400 students. If each of them produces 100 watts of power, the peak power capacity of the human power plant is 40 kilowatt. Including losses for distribution and energy conversion, which we estimate to be 50%, the human power floors can supply a maximum 20 kilowatts of electric power.
If this effort would be sustained for 24 hours per day (the "slavery" scenario, in which each student does a daily shift of 9.6 hours), the maximum electricity production would be 423 kilowatt-hours per day. If the same power output would be sustained for only 8 hours per day (the "fitness" scenario, in which each student does a daily shift of 3.2 hours), maximum electricity production would be 144 kilowatt-hours per day.
For comparison, the average electricity consumption in a common (fossil fuel powered) student dorm for 750 students is 3.000 kilowatt-hours per day, roughly 10 to 20 times more than we have available. However, the human powered student community requires much less electricity than a common student building for three reasons: most household tasks are organized communally, the building makes use of very efficient technology, and students have adopted less energy-intensive daily routines.
Although humans themselves can be considered as batteries, the human powered student building is equipped with a gravity battery in one of the former elevator shafts. It has a storage capacity of 156 kWh electrical energy. This non-human energy storage smooths out peak energy demand, which allows to spread out the workforce more evenly throughout the day. Energy storage also allows to operate machines, such as refrigerators, for 24 hours per day without introducing night shifts.
Heat Production
The human power plant is like a co-generation power plant: it produces electricity but also uses the waste heat that is produced in the process. The body heat from the power producing students is piped throughout the building and into communal spaces and individual student rooms. By opening the vents in the pipes, students can release the warm air into the room or in their personal body suit.
The human body produces between 50 and 150 watts of heat during rest or light activity. During exercise, these numbers can double or triple. Assuming 400 students can each sustain a heat production of 200 watts, we have 80 kW of heat available at maximum power production.
On the other hand, to raise the indoor temperature by 10 degrees celsius in a building the volume of the Willem C. Van Unnik building takes 255 to 900 kW of heat, depending on the insulation level.
Unfortunately, our building is not very well insulated. This could be improved by investing in extra insulation, but we found even more energy-efficient alternatives in heated body suits, thermal clothing, and the encouragement of physical activity (so that people need less heating).
Work schedules
The maximum power capacity of the human power plant says nothing about the effective power and energy production. This ultimately depends on how much energy is used. Because the users of energy are also the producers of energy, there's a strong incentive to reduce energy demand.
Daily working schedules for communal power production can vary from less than one hour to 8 hours or more depending on communal and individual preferences. The working schedules are negotiated and set up by the students themselves, who are in total control of their human powered community.
The seasons also influence the working schedules. Lowering power generation in winter is problematic because it also lowers the heat production. Furthermore, less people generating power also means that more people are inactive and thus need more heating.
Maybe the common levels (kitchen, living room) can be the only ones that get improved insulation. This could contribute to the social interaction.
For the individual spaces I feel it's an interesting option to use alternative body heating and insulation.
Sun collectors could be conected tot low temperature radiation in common levels to ensure/support reaching a minimum level of comfort. During summer time the circuit can be changed to use for heating water.
Maybe with a sun chimney and heat exchange the building air can be heated without having to deal with the sweaty/stinky air from the power generation floors?
Posted by: Jens | 16 June 2017 at 05:26 PM
This is really great
Posted by: Martin Buuri Kaburia | 30 September 2017 at 11:54 AM