Harvesting Energy from a Light Breeze

In October, scientists from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore made an engineering breakthrough with their new invention, the wind harvester. The 15 by 20 centimeter device is one of the smallest of its kind, and is capable of running under winds of only 2 meters per second. This makes it ideal for urban environments that require compact technology and where the crowded buildings slow the wind. The Wind Harvester could be the future of wind technology, maybe even in your home!

Wind Power

The body is constructed of fiber epoxy, a durable polymer, with the main attachment built of other inexpensive materials including copper, aluminum foil, and teflon, a chemical coating. When the machine interacts with wind, a plate moves back and forth from a stopper, creating charges on the film. Eventually, an electrical current forms as the charges flow from the aluminum foil to the copper film. During the testing process, the lab concluded that the harvester was capable of powering 40 LED lights under consistent winds of 4 meters per second. The wind harvester was also able to power a sensor, which wirelessly transmitted room temperature data to a mobile phone. Even better, the device was able to power a machine and store energy to power itself in situations with no wind.

Commercializing

As of now, the Nanyang team are working towards commercializing the harvesters, with plans to replace smaller nonrenewable lithium-ion batteries. The leader of the project, Professor Yang Yaowen, said “[o]ur research aims to tackle the lack of a small-scale energy harvester for more targeted functions, such as to power smaller sensors and electronic devices.” This leaves the prospect for wind power to become available to everyone, not just on private wind farms. In the future, the harvesters could power our cell phones, appliances, or even charge electric cars. The researchers said that the possibilities of The Wind Harvester are endless.

Works cited:

NTU Singapore scientists develop inexpensive device that can harvest energy from a light breeze and store it as electricity. (2022 October 10). School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. https://www.ntu.edu.sg/cee/news-events/news/detail/ntu-singapore-scientists-develop-inexpensive-device-that-can-harvest-energy-from-a-light-breeze-and-store-it-as-electricity