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Aurea Technologies have made a compact wind turbine for charging your electronics when you’re out exploring. The turbine has a 12,000 mAh lithium ion battery, suitable for charging all kinds of devices, like a phone or GPS. And, it’s on kickstarter.
What does a Aurea’s wind turbine do for you?
Shine, the name of the turbine, is a charger. You could charge a phone, a GPS, a light, a camera, or other similar electronics devices.
Why would you want this?
Suppose you were car camping, or going on a multi day trip. You’re away from an outlet, or can’t always use the 12v socket in the car. Maybe the wind picks up and you can charge from it? Or, you’ve got the large battery internal to the turbine to power your devices, and use the wind to recharge the battery later.
What Aurea promises
The turbine can generate 13.3 Watts per pound, or about 40 watts. It generates power anywhere from 8 to 28 mph winds. Obviously, if you’re in a location with no wind, this might pose a problem, but it’s more efficient than portable solar chargers, and depending on where your expeditions take you, this might be the answer you need.
How does this differ from other charging products?
Portable chargers tend to be batteries, solar panels, or here, a portable turbine. The problem with solar panels is that you need large ones to generate the level of power you need to actually charge a phone. You can either have an inefficient panel, or three large fold-out panels that will eventually charge a phone, or… maybe Aurea’s Shine wind turbine would do the job.
The value proposition
Shine is selling at an early bird price of US $240, about 40% lower than retail when the crowd-funding campaign closes. The question you have to ask yourself is, is this better than just a battery. My suspicion is, yes, especially if you’re going where you’ve got wind. It may not be the device you take on a day trip, but it gives us something to think about: where the energy we use comes from. By making a turbine, it’s possible to use the phone or a lamp without an electrical grid, and possible to think about what other devices are low power enough to make sense to run on sustainable energy. Check it out at kickstarter.
Specifications
- 40 watts of power generation
- 2 to 28mph winds
- 3 lbs weight
- internal 12,000 mAh battery, suitable for about 4 phone charges
- IP54 weather resistance
