Portable Bike generator and Charger

A. Project
What is the title of the capstone paper?
Bicycle-mounted charger utilizing mechanical energy through the rotation of the bicycle
wheels

B. Project Merit
Explain the practical importance of your project. Explain why it is worthwhile.

As the world grows warmer and more CFC’s are produced by human activities, people
have been looking at alternative sources of energy. Solar, wind and hydro energy are the trends
for clean, sustainable energy. One other source that is not used as much is mechanical energy
that is produced from daily human activities. As people are encouraged to bike more, the energy
produced from the spinning wheels of the bike can be harvested to charge small gadgets being
brought every day.
The researchers are going to design a portable generator that can be fitted onto most
bike designs. This creates energy from the spinning wheels, which in turn, charges a power
bank that can be taken out at any time. This can encourage more people to use bikes in going
to school or places nearby. Cars have batteries that can charge gadgets, but with this product,
bringing a bike will become a viable option for others who commute or drive to nearby places.
This is also another source of clean, sustainable energy that is easier to access than other
alternative sources.
The mechanism will be using cheap materials to create the energy since it is simpler to
convert mechanical energy to electrical energy than other sources. It can be affordable to
students and people who wants a cheap mechanism which also helps the environment.

C. What is/are the conceptual basis/bases of the capstone project (based on related
literature)?

According to E. Minazara, et al. (2008), the researchers have developed a piezoelectric

generator that harvests the vibrations and mechanical energy of a bike. They connected the
mechanism to the handlebar of the bike. It receives the vibrations when using the bike and
converts it into electrical energy.

The researchers plan to create a mechanism that is being turned by the spinning
wheels of the bike to create mechanical energy. This energy is then converted to electrical
energy that is stored in a power bank. The researchers plan to make the model portable, which
can be fitted onto most bike designs. They also plan to use cheaper materials to make the
product affordable to many.

Minazara, E., Vasic, D., & Costa, F. (2008, March). Piezoelectric generator harvesting bike
vibrations energy to supply portable devices. In Proceedings of International Conference on
Renewable Energies And Power Quality (ICREPQ'08).