The Australian marine biologist Lloyd Godson has began his attempt to set a new world record by generating the largest amount of electricity ever produced by under water cycling, at the Bavarian Legoland theme park in Germany. For a fortnight, beginning March 30, Godson will stay in a 4m² underwater home, his only light provided by solar lamps.
Godson will need to produce 2,500 watt hours to break the record. During his time underwater, Godson will be surrounded by approximately 1,300 fish and be on view for Legoland visitors.
Phaesun, which is sponsoring Godson, has developed an energy storage system and an innovative lighting project including four solar lamps for the record attempt. “We have tested Gordon’s bicycle in our company and designed the power supply for the lighting and the operation of a note book,” said Phaesun managing director Tobias Zwirner. Eight kilojoules of energy per hour are sufficient to achieve 240 lumen of light output for six hours. The electronic system and a lithium-ion storage battery are already integrated in the lamps.
The energy generated by the cycling will be transferred over an energy storage system to Godson’s notebook, which he will be using to communicate with the outside world. An official Guinness World Records referee will confirm the world record by April 13.
