Our goal with this project is to create our own wind turbine that is capable of generating enough electricity to charge a phone, and perhaps power more than just a phone charger. Our purpose for this is to explore the possibilities of creating sustainable, green, and maintainable energy solutions for countries that may be impoverished, or countries that may not be using green energy in the first place.
During our blade material investigation, we had three materials to test: wood, cardboard, and styrofoam. We discovered that cardboard was the most dense material, it generated the most power on average, and during the flexion test, it did not break. Wood was the second most dense material and we found out that it generated the second most power, and during the flexion test it broke after an average of 3.7 centimeters of flex. Lastly, styrofoam was the least dense material, generated the least amount of power, and it was incredibly brittle, breaking after 2.9 centimeters of flex on average.
Overall, cardboard was the most durable material as well as having the highest average power output making it a consistent and ideal material. This combined with the workability of cardboard reinforced the design team’s decision to stick with cardboard.
As of now, our group has concluded that with some work, our turbine can certainly generate enough power to charge a phone. We also concluded that cardboard is the best material to use for the blades, and that four blades at a very shallow angle is the best combination we can utilize.
Usukhbayar Gankhuyag on Unsplash.