Triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator with bionic dolphin blade for enhanced wind energy harvesting

Small-scale wind turbines are crucial for high-entropy energy harvesting, but they face challenges such as difficulty starting at low wind speeds and reduced efficiency at high wind speeds, which limit their ability to provide consistent power to network sensors. To overcome these challenges, inspired by the dolphin's dorsal fin and tail movement, this study introduces a bionic dolphin blade triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator (BDB-TEHG). The blade mimics the dolphin's dorsal fin, while the adaptive mechanical design simulates tail movement to enhance wind energy capture. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) optimizes the blade's structure and motion, increasing output power by 1550.7 % compared to conventional NACA 0018-type turbines. To reduce starting torque, a durable and easily initiated power generation unit is developed. Experimental results show the BDB-TEHG starts generating power at 2 m/s, achieving a charging power of 0.712 mW, 34 times that of the NACA 0018 turbine, with a power density of 55 mW & sdot;m-3. Notably, the BDB-TEHG successfully powers an outdoor wireless temperature and humidity sensor after sustained operation. These findings present an innovative solution for low-speed wind energy harvesting and highlight the BDB-TEHG's potential as a reliable distributed energy source.