WGUs sensor based on integrated wind-induced generating units for 360° wind energy harvesting and self-powered wind velocity sensing

Abstract

Wind, as a natural power source, can be used to produce electricity using wind generators. However, detecting wind velocity has been challenging because wind always blows in a random direction. In this study, we design a self-powered wind velocity sensor based on integrated wind-induced generating units (WGUs) to harvest wind energy from all directions in a plane and as a self-powered wind velocity sensor (denoted as WGUs sensor). A wind-induced generating unit consists of two parallel plate Cu-electrodes (size 1.5 × 4 cm², gap 0.5 cm) and a polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) thin film between them. The W-TGUs sensor can be effectively used to harvest wind energy from all directions in a plane by integrating the W-TGUs in circular and vertical directions. The output current and voltage of every WGU are 1–3.5 μA, and 13–20 V under a wind speed of 6–27 m s⁻¹. The output rectified current of WGUs, with vertically integrated one to five WGUs, was 1.3–6.8 μA under a wind speed of 8 m s⁻¹. Moreover, the W-TGUs sensor can detect a wind velocity from all directions on a plane with a resolution ratio of 0.13 (m s⁻¹) Hz⁻¹ and a response time of 0.15 s, which is a very important advantage as a self-powered wind velocity sensor. The output power of the WGUs sensor can be greatly enhanced by increasing the number of WGUs. This study provides a novel design for harvesting wind energy and sensing wind velocity from a random direction on a plane.