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Thursday, 30 November 2006 |
Student builds solar powered bicycleby MILLIE TOLLESON
News Reporter
One Appalachian State University student found a way to combat Boone’s rolling hills and high-energy usage with his own brand of sustainability.
 Active Image | David Mulvaney | Chief Photographer
Appalachian State junior appropriate technology and community/regional planning major Bill H. Atkinson built a solar powered bike he uses to help get to and from class daily.
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Bill H. Atkinson created a solar-powered bicycle for a class within his
appropriate technologies major and now rides the bike to campus every
day.
Atkinson’s 36-volt system includes the addition of a motor, battery and three solar panels to his bicycle.
The bike’s system, completed in early November, took Atkinson about 48 “man hours” to create.
Atkinson, a junior also majoring in community/regional planning, said
the motor on his bike allows him to keep up with traffic, move up hills
with less effort and carry more weight.
“I am able to maintain about 30 to 35 miles per hour without really pumping hard,” he said.
Atkinson said a fully charged battery allows him to ride about 20 miles, although he rarely rides without pedaling at all.
“With the motor on, I still pedal a little on hills to help it out,” he said.
Now that his system is complete, Atkinson is conducting solar
assessments of the bike racks across campus to see which racks attract
the most sunlight throughout the day.
Atkinson said the best solar energy is collected between the hours of 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
“I try to get in a spot that has the least shade and the fewest obstacles, like trees, during that time,” he said.
Atkinson, who lives near New Market Center, said the addition of a
motor on his bicycle has made the hills in Boone much less challenging.
“Without the motor, when I got to campus, I looked like I had just
gotten out of the shower,” Atkinson said. “With the motor, it’s no
sweat at all.”
Atkinson said he wishes Boone would create more bike paths and trails for those wishing to get around town by bicycle.
“For all the biking that goes on, you would think it would be more [bike-friendly],” he said.
Atkinson, who hopes to one day build a commercial-grade wind farm in
Western North Carolina, is passionate about environmental efforts.
“We have to find ways to contribute to the environment instead of taking from it,” he said.
Atkinson is also dismayed by the lack of sustainability on campus.
“[Renewable Energy Initiative] is doing their best, but it seems like
they are running into issues with esthetics. Where we are and what we
teach is high in sustainability, but we don’t seem to learn from what
we teach,” he said.
Atkinson pointed to the green roofs atop Plemmons Student Union and
Belk Library & Information Commons and suggests the idea of solar
panels on a scale larger than his bike.
“Big schools are running on solar energy. People think it would look
bad, but if you design it that way, you would never know they’re
there,” Atkinson said.
Anyone interested in learning about alternative transportation or
viewing vehicles similar to Atkinson’s can attend the Electric Vehicle
Workshop Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
The presentation, sponsored by Appalachian’s Sustainable Energy Society, will be held in room 17 of Kerr Scott Hall.
Atkinson said he is likely to make an “impromptu appearance” with his bike.
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