A business plan to capture the energy generated from spin bike studios and turn it into electricity earned three Advanced Economics students Berkshires's Sabin Entrepreneurial Prize.

Sydney McGill '18, Krystal Palmer '18, and Hannah Weymuller '18 were awarded the prize on April 26 as members of CyClean, a company the trio said sought to retrofit spin bikes in as many as 500 cycling studios across the country.

"There are thousands of people who work out every day," said McGill. "But none of the energy is being stored or saved anywhere, so it's going to waste. We were able to come up with a potential way to solve this issue."

By attaching small generators to spin bikes, CyClean would be able to capture the energy which would then in turn be converted into electricity for gyms and surrounding businesses.

"It's not only good for your health, it's good for the environment," McGill added.

Palmer said a single spin class with 50 participants would produce about 15 kilowatt hours worth of electricity, or about 120 kilowatt hours per day. The average gym uses about 75 kilowatt hours during that span, leading to an excess of electricity that can be sold back to the grid, Weymuller added.

The generators would cost about $400 per bike to install and connect to the electric grid, and each would require an annual $60 maintenance fee. Participating gyms, Weymuller said, would see a return on investment in about one-and-a-half years.

CyClean edged out four other student-proposed business plans to earn the Sabin Prize, earning the praise of a three-judge panel that included Berkshire parent Jonathan Sabin P'21, alumnus and trustee Vernon Taylor '66, and local businesswoman Wendy Akroyd, owner of Artemesia Handmade.

"We all put so much research and time into our business plan," Palmer said. "We met nearly every day to write, plan, contact companies, and rehearse all in preparation for Sabin. I'm extremely proud of all of us for coming out on top."

Click here to read more about this year's Sabin Entrepreneurial Prize.