how much electrical power can one man/woman on a stationary pedal bike running an generator?

Question

for example could a pedal powered generator power a three bar heater or a kettle, would altering the gear ratio affect the outcome, could you charge a battery enough to power a three bar heater or kettle and how long would it take

Answer 1

You need 5 horsepower to produce 3kw a human being can produce 1/4 horsepower which means 150watts and that is working very hard to achieve it. If you gear up to get a generator to work then you loose some power by this. I am developing a slow revving alternator which turning at 60 rpm by hand I can easily produce 100watts so what it will develop by pedals I don't know as it is designed to be driven by a water wheel

Answer 2

The average person could put out a kilowatt for a short time. Not enough to run a room heater. For extended periods at more normal exercise levels its not much above 100 W. The gear ratio does not affect power, it only needs to be optimised to match the power output of the person to the electrical load.

If a kettle is 2kW and needs 5 minutes to boil, you'd have to pedal for 2000/100*5=100 minutes to get enough power in the battery to boil the kettle.

Answer 3

About 100 cal. per hour, just convert cal. to watts.