In ancient times, sailors used their sails to catch the power of the wind. And, once upon a time, farmers relied on windmills to grind grains and pump water.
With today’s world moving toward a greener future, the longstanding relationship of humanity with the wind has led to the creation of wind turbines.
Halifax startup is taking wind turbines to the next level and enabling wilderness explorers to access renewable energy in their pockets.
Everyone Meet Shine Turbine: Wind Turbine that Charges Handheld Electronics
According to Aurea Technologies Inc’s founder and CEO, Cat Adalay, the Shine Turbine is a three-pound and 40-watt wind turbine that charges various handheld electronics.
This is the first in a series of devices running on renewable power that the startup has designed to increase freedom from the electrical grid.
This device, to become what it is today, is the result of years of dedicated labor and Cat’s passion and that of her team for sustainable energy.
Adalay founded the startup in 2017, shocked by the reality of climate change after watching An Inconvenient Truth in high school, a documentary by Al Gore.
As she went on to study engineering, she realized that tech and innovation in renewable energies and microgrid systems would be pivotal in addressing climate change.
Along with her background in tech and her huge passion for the outdoors, she discovered the unused potential that wind power actually has.
First, she started to make a wind energy system for residential applications; however, when Rachel Carr, CMO of Aurea Tech Inc came into the picture, they scaled up the prototype and made the Shine Turbine.
The Shine Turbine Took a lot of Time & Effort
The team had to overcome various challenges in terms of the engineering, including the design as there were plenty of contradicting variables.
They wanted to make it strong enough to be used as an outdoor product, but easy to store and carry around, yet efficient enough to produce sufficient power. This required high engineering.
Along the way, similarly to other designs, there were certain challenges with the Shine Turbine. This pocket turbine works as massive wind turbines which we see in rural landscapes do, but on a much smaller scale, intended for personal use.
This device is able to power one’s gadgets like cameras, lights, tablets, phones, etc., and produce and keep electricity in different weather conditions.
This device has a battery capacity for four full phone charges and may collapse into a size 1000 ml water bottle which is ideal for backpackers. The major advantage of this device is the capacity to make and hold power while preserving its light weight and compactness.
The wind is very efficient in producing energy fast due to its cubic relationship with power.
When the wind speeds double, the output of power increases eightfold and when this is combined with the patent-pending tech of Shine, it can be said that it’s a wind charger able to provide the most energy for the least weight.
Sustainability Is Also an Important Feature of the Shine Turbine
The Shine wind turbine is also promising in terms of sustainability. The startup had made it a priority to source as many of the parts as locally as possible and decrease the device’s carbon footprint.
What’s more, up to 85% of the parts are recyclable once they reach their end of life and the packing is plastic-free and also entirely recyclable.
This compact turbine is ready for production and the crowdfunding is already happening in a Kickstarter campaign. The early bird price is $240 or 40% savings off the usual price. This campaign has a goal of $50,000.
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