A multi-mode R-TENG for self-powered anemometer under IoT network

With the increasing use of the IoTs, the necessity of having in-situ and independent resources have become more vital. Among clean energy sources, triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) have been introduced as a new and widely used technology in the field of renewable sources and passive self-powered sensors. In this research, a completely new model in rotational triboelectric nanogenerator (R-TENG) structures is presented in which two different modes of contact-separation and freestanding triboelectric layer are used simultaneously and leads to the generation of high power density compared to structures using a simple mode. This novel triboelectric nanogenerator has been used to build a self-powered anemometer station under the IoT network. Two triboelectric layers of PET and Kapton are used with a spacer between them. The measured open circuit voltage (VOC) and short circuit current (ISC) were about 900 Vp-p and 22 mA, respectively at 2000 rpm. Moreover, the maximum delivered power was obtained in the matching resistance of 270 k ohm, equivalent to 168 mW. The maximum power density in this R-TENG was 8.55 mW/cm2. Finally, an electronic circuit was designed and fabricated for power management, information processing and transmission. Also, special software has been developed for displaying and storing wind speed data for this application.