Skip to main content

Personal power generator harvests energy from the breeze you make when you walk

Wind power is an exciting and efficient method for generating sustainable energy. But while most of us aren’t going to be getting personal wind turbines anytime soon, a small device developed by researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing promises to turn wind power into a personal energy generating solution — by harvesting energy from the breeze created when you go for a brisk walk. Yes, seriously.

Rather than being a wind turbine, the device is a nanogenerator composed of twin plastic strips in a tube that moves when exposed to airflow. Through a process called the triboelectric effect, the two plastic strips brush against each other and generate an electric current. This is similar to the way that static makes your hair stand on end when you rub a balloon on your head. This current is then sent via silver electrodes to a miniature generator. While the wind-to-energy conversion efficiency is lower than an average wind turbine, it is higher than previous devices trying to do similar wind scavenging.

The prototype gadget is capable of producing 2.5 milliwatts of power. This is sufficient to power 100 small LED lights. That means that the idea of being able to power, say, your iPhone by taking a heart rate-increasing walk is out of the question for now. However, the researchers are hoping to scale up the power generating system, which could make it more useful when it comes to real-world applications. They could even potentially create giant-sized versions that could be placed in locations traditional wind turbines cannot easily be erected, such as on top of certain buildings.

“Our intention isn’t to replace existing wind power generation technology,” researcher Ya Yang from Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences, said in a statement. “Our goal is to solve the issues that the traditional wind turbines can’t solve. Unlike wind turbines that use coils and magnets, where the costs are fixed, we can pick and choose low-cost materials for our device. Our device can also be safely applied to nature reserves or cities because it doesn’t have the rotating structures.”

A paper describing this work, titled “A Triboelectric Nanogenerator Exploiting the Bernoulli Effect for Scavenging Wind Energy,” was recently published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science.

Luke Dormehl
I'm a UK-based tech writer covering Cool Tech at Digital Trends. I've also written for Fast Company, Wired, the Guardian…
Could wooden windmills make a comeback? Sweden’s newest turbine shuns steel
modvion wind turbine next gen wood

Modvion - Short presentation

Wind power is clearly one of the most exciting sustainable energy solutions at the moment. It’s expected to be the European Union’s largest power source as early as 2027 -- and the U.S. isn't exactly sleeping on it, either. But don’t necessarily get too attached to the “traditional” steel and fiberglass wind turbines that have been popping up in a growing number of locations around the world. In Sweden, the engineering firm Modvion has been hard at work reinventing the turbine to make it even more ecologically friendly -- by building it out of laminated wood.

Read more
Wind and solar? Old news. California wants to vaporize trash to create energy
Trash

SPEG Technology

If you’re looking for the latest in sustainable energy, cast your eyes in the direction of Lancaster, California, where a new green hydrogen SGH2 facility is in the works -- with the promise of transforming thousands of tons of landfill garbage into hydrogen each year on a scale that no similar plant has done before.

Read more
For thirsty campers, GoSun’s water purifier purges germs with power of the sun
gosun flow solar power water purifier news

In the modern, hygiene-conscious world, it can (ironically) be difficult to find a hand sanitizer for quick cleaning on the go, and it’s not always possible to find a sink to wash your hands. GoSun presents a solution with GoSun Flow, a portable solar-powered water purifier and sanitation system. The Flow is small enough to fit inside of a backpack and uses solar power to filter out 99.99% of pathogens from water -- including the coronavirus. GoSun says it can kill the coronavirus, but it's not really clear that its spread via water is an issue. According to the CDC, COVID-19 has not yet been detected in drinking water.

The GoSun Flow is built to be a portable handwashing station, shower, source of drinking water, and more. The all-in-one unit includes everything the user needs including a faucet, pump, filter, power bank, and solar panels. The GoSun Flow can also be powered via a USB outlet.

Read more