Effective wind energy harvesting by a triboelectric-electromagnetic hybrid generator via coupled cluster-magnus effects

Traditional wind turbines have struggled to efficiently harvest broadband wind energy due to significant velocity fluctuations. To address this challenge, this study innovatively proposes a bio-inspired cluster wind turbine-driven hybrid triboelectric-electromagnetic generator (CWT-TEHG). The design synergistically combines multi-rotor cluster effects with Magnus effect induced orbital motion to enhance wind energy harvesting. An adaptive adjustment mechanism coordinates with an energy storage-release system to regulate the triboelectric layer interface behavior of the triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) and optimize the operation of the electromagnetic generator (EMG), achieving efficient broadband wind to electricity conversion. Computational fluid dynamics analysis reveals the energy harvesting mechanisms, guiding parametric optimization. Experimental results demonstrate a low cut-in wind speed of 2 m s^-1, and achieves a 92.4% improvement in TENG output at 10 m s^-1 compared to TENG without orbital motion and adaptive gap regulation, with the regulated EMG reaching a peak power of 665.6 mW, and CWT-TEHG achieves a peak instantaneous wind-to-electricity conversion efficiency of 24.3% at 4 m s^-1. Field applications including self-powered bridge structural health monitoring validate the system’s practicality. This work establishes a novel strategy for low-speed and broadband wind energy harvesting while demonstrating the potential of environmental micro-energy utilization for Internet of Things self-powered applications.