Designing a Wind Harvester to Complement Remote Weather Station Power Supply

This study analyzes how wind-induced vibrations can be exploited to harvest energy for powering remote weather stations. Three kinds of wind-induced vibrations are considered: vortex-induced vibrations, galloping, and flutter. Experimental tests on prototypes and numerical results show that the galloping harvester is the solution most suited to the proposed application. The numerical model makes it possible to simulate both T- and I-shaped harvesters and to analyze the effect of variations in the main design parameters: bluff-body mass, cantilever stiffness, and damping. Experimental tests show that a galloping energy harvester can supply an average power close to the average electrical load of an IoT wireless sensor for environmental monitoring, without requiring an additional battery supply.