New portable wind generator for charging gadgets

In our gadget-oriented culture, there is one limiting factor: battery capacity. And while we haven’t seen any significant improvements in battery technology (yet) that would allow us to live without recharging for days, mobile solar chargers and backup batteries seem to be the only solutions (well, if we don’t stop using them actively).

Wind turbines are a viable clean energy solution, but most of the innovations in wind power tend to be implemented on a large scale, and because these devices aren’t entirely portable, they’re not suitable for charging mobile devices. But the upcoming invention could allow us to harness the full power of wind from a micro turbine to charge our smartphones, tablets and other USB devices.

Although the efficiency of small wind turbines, especially vertical axial wind turbines (VAWTs), is often criticized and projects are dismissed as energy-intensive, this has not stopped young people from creating new niche solutions. And this solution is really attractive, as it is designed to eliminate one of the pressing problems of mobile users.

The Trinity Wind Turbine (referred to as a “Pottable Wind Power Plant” due to its onboard battery) is light enough to carry around, powerful enough to provide clean electricity, and can be a harbinger of personal wind energy devices. The Trinity has three aluminium legs that can be folded into the body of a turbine during transportation and then deployed and become a tripod for turbine deployment. The device has three wind blades that can also be folded into the body of the transport device, and opened when deployed. When rotating, the generator produces 15W of electricity and is able to charge the battery 15,000 mAh when the wind blows.

The Trinity wind turbine is made of plastic and aluminum and weighs an incomplete 2 kg, a height of 60 cm in working condition, and folds into a 30 cm long cylinder for transportation. To launch their project into production, the founders turned to crowdfunding site Kickstarter to raise $50,000, complete the final prototype and begin the production process. According to startups, the estimated cost of such a portable wind turbine will be $ 249 and will be put into mass production in February 2015.


Source: rodovid.me