TGO Green Energy Gym Converts Exercise to Electricity

The Great Outdoor Gym Company (TGO) has installed the world's first outdoor gym equipment that can harness students' energy to generate electricity.

The Great Outdoor Gym Company (TGO) has installed an outdoor Green Energy Gym at Sir George Monoux College in Walthamstow in the UK. The outdoor gym equipment is designed to harness students' energy, charge their phones, and send the surplus energy back into the college. The Green Energy Gym was officially opened on Thursday, September 26.

Sir George Monoux College had previously installed more than 216 solar panels and aims to become Britain's first carbon neutral college. The Green Energy Gym project with TGO is an original way to get the students involved both in fitness activities and energy conservation.

"Launching a world first project at Sir George Monoux College gives our students a unique experience," said Paolo Ramella, Principal of Sir George Monoux College. "Through the installation of this gym, students of Sir George Monoux College have been empowered to do something positive towards their health and the well-being of the planet."

Speaking at the launch, Labour MP for Walthamstow Stella Creasy said, "It's when I come and see projects like this and I meet young people like you that I know we're going to be OK. Because if we can come up with something as amazingly scientific as this, where you can charge your phone, not feel guilty about eating fried chicken for lunch, and help the college save money so it can put money into scholarships, we can overcome the world... there are organisations like The Great Outdoor Gym Co. that are thinking about the ways they can help you."

The Great Outdoor Gym Company is a family-owned UK-based business on a mission to create healthy communities. The company has installed hundreds of outdoor gyms in more than 12 countries. Launched in 2007, TGO manufactures equipment wholly in the UK and the company's highlights include Olympic gyms for London 2012 and the new Green Energy Gyms that can generate electricity.

TGO Green Energy Gyms are designed to convert human kinetic energy into electricity. Created with the notion that the energy people create when they exercise can be harnessed and put to use, the TGO creative team invented three systems to collect the energy and re-use it. The Cardio Charge system makes it possible for people to exercise using the TGO Green Energy equipment and simultaneously charge their phones, iPads, and other devices while getting fit. The more time they spend working out, the more they charge.

The Glow system converts the energy generated by exercise to light the outdoor gym area, so that the fitness equipment can be used after dark. The Flow system lets users capture and store the electricity generated over a period of time and then use it to power a building or put it back into the grid. Users can see how much energy they are generating as they exercise, which is an extra motivational boost.

"Our mission is to create the greenest gym facilities in the world," said Georgie Delaney, Creative Director for The Great Outdoor Gym Company. "Home grown, designed and made in Britain, TGO has pioneered the idea of outdoor gyms in this country, installing over 400 sites already. We are excited about the roll out of our Green Energy Gyms and we hope that it will inspire thousands of young people."

Depending on how much the equipment is used, TGO Green Energy Gyms can generate 1 KWH of energy per day.

To see the new Green Energy Gym installed at Sir George Monoux College, watch the video.