A collapsible lightweight wind turbine ideal for outdoor adventures

It can operate day and night, having an output of 5W.

It can operate day and night, having an output of 5W.

The designer Nils Ferber has created the ‘Micro Wind Turbine’, a renewable energy source alternative to solar panels when in the great wide open, as it can operate in harsh weather conditions and even at night. The ‘Micro Wind Turbine’ is extremely light and unfolds telescopically within seconds, making it very portable. Having a vertical axis rotor, its function is based on the principle of tension and compression, capturing the wind from all directions. A generator axis is placed in the lower part of the shaft and the produced energy can either be stored in an integrated battery pack or used directly to charge devices from the built-in USB port. All necessary components are packed together in one small unit, and can easily be transported on a backpack. The prototype can produce a constant output of 5W when a gentle breeze is blowing (18km/hr) and can be used for smaller USB devices. The current design has a fixed size and can be handled by a single person; however versions of a larger scale might be developed in the future depending on the intended use.