A patent was issued to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Tuesday for a novel generator that buzzes in a light breeze.
Using low-velocity winds—less than nine miles per hour, which are not strong enough to turn a traditional wind turbine's blades—the new generator creates power using "elastic tension gradient" strips.
The prototype generator, built at the Corps' Engineer Research and Development Center, has a base structure made of PVC piping that supports eight elastic strips mounted vertically on rotating tensioning tubes.
The strips are positioned in parallel with the wind's direction and their front-to-back elasticity gives them a constant serpentine wiggle, which moves an embedded copper induction coil across a smooth pipe containing magnets. Wiring transmits the induced electricity from the coil generators to a power converter and output where it can be used for all sorts of work.
Optionally, guide plates can be attached to funnel more air current over the flaps and a stiffening bar can be added to at the midpoint of the elastic flaps, which "enhances the generation of serpentine motion by providing an increased surface area for the fluid without hindering the serpentine motion," according to the patent.