One Day Those Wind Chimes Will Generate Clean Energy

Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News!

cornell researcher developing low cost wind energy device with piezoelectricityWind power conjures up images of giant turbines spinning gracefully out somewhere in the cornfields, but one day it could be as close as those wind chimes hanging from your porch. An undergraduate research group at Cornell University is developing a compact  low-cost device for converting wind into electricity. Instead of blades turning on a rotor, it consists of a rack of flat panels that capture the vibrations from wind.

Wind Power Goes Domestic

Actually, for a growing number of people, wind power conjures up images of small-scale wind turbines in their own backyard or rooftop – that is, if the neighbors don’t object. If they do, the Cornell project offers some aesthetic flexibility that could offer an alternative solution. It could also enable more urban homeowners to squeeze wind power into tight spaces such as apartment balconies.

Clean Energy from Vibrations

The Cornell project is based on an effect called piezoelectricity, in which a charge is generated by certain crystalline structures that are subjected to stress. With the right materials, you can generate a piezolectric charge from a wide variety of surfaces that vibrate or experience traffic, including highways, dance floors, machinery – and wind. As an alternative, the team is also exploring the use of electromagnetic coils.

Harvesting the Wind

The Cornell Vibro-Wind Research Group is dedicated to making wind power more accessible, so it is concentrating on a device that costs less, takes up less space, and generates electricity from even tiny breezes. The group also includes an architecture team that is working on integrating the device into building elements. If the concept proves cost-effective, the prototype’s bare-bones rack of oscillating foam blocks could be replaced by far more attractive materials. In that case, it has the potential to become as common as  wind chimes – but without the noise.

Image: Wind chimes by Dr. Starbuck on flickr.com.


Have a tip for CleanTechnica? Want to advertise? Want to suggest a guest for our CleanTech Talk podcast? Contact us here.

Latest CleanTechnica TV Video


Advertisement
 
CleanTechnica uses affiliate links. See our policy here.

Tina Casey

Tina specializes in advanced energy technology, military sustainability, emerging materials, biofuels, ESG and related policy and political matters. Views expressed are her own. Follow her on LinkedIn, Threads, or Bluesky.

Tina Casey has 3276 posts and counting. See all posts by Tina Casey