Electromechanical Properties of a Hybrid Broadband Wind Energy Harvester for Smart Agriculture Monitoring in the Loess Plateau

Abstract

Wind, as a ubiquitous energy, is an important power source for intelligent monitoring systems in smart agriculture applications, and its efficient collection can greatly improve the long-term performance of monitoring systems. However, it is difficult to achieve the broadband and efficient harvesting of wind energy using the existing energy collection technology. Herein, a broadband energy conversion device (ECD), consisting of a triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and an electromagnetic generator (EMG), is proposed for wind energy collection under different wind speeds. The introduction of an optimized Scotch yoke mechanism greatly improves the utilization of wind energy by the TENG, thus reducing energy dissipation. Moreover, the addition of a deflector into the fan greatly reduces the start-up wind speed and improves the ability of the device to capture breeze energy. By doping multi-walled carbon nanotubes, the output voltage and current of the TENG can be improved by 108.89% and 116.61%, respectively. Furthermore, the adopted all-directional conductive foam can greatly prolong the service life of the ECD. The peak power of the ECD is 68.49 mW at 9.6 m/s, with the EMG and TENG producing approximately 64.80 mW and 3.69 mW, respectively. The proposed ECD provides a new technical strategy for the practical application of wind energy harvesters.