A Canadian company has developed a small wind turbine that generates and stores electricity in various weather conditions.

A Canadian company has developed a small wind turbine that generates and stores electricity in various weather conditions.
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A wind turbine to carry in your backpack

Canadian tech company Aurea wants European support for its project.

You know what it's like: you forget to take extra batteries for your mobile phones and other electrical devices while hiking or camping and you soon find yourself without power. It’s possible to recharge your devices with the help of solar energy, but that can be very difficult when it’s cloudy or at night. The Canadian tech company Aurea has a solution: a small wind turbine that generates and stores electricity in various weather conditions, Shine is an an ultra-compact device that collapses into the size of a 1l water bottle and can be carried in a backpack.

A crowdfunding campaign was started on the Kickstarter platform last year but did not reach more than €145,000, so a new campaign has now been launched on Indiegogo, which seeks support from European backers. Interested parties are addressed with the promise that pre-orders would be available, with Indiegogo offering a range of bundles for crowdfunding backers like a ‘Power Bundle’ for €566 with a turbine, USB cable, charger, adaptor, case, and anemometer. The ‘Essential Bundle’ with turbine and anemometer costs €392.

Aurea said the production would start when $500,000 (approx. €458,000) is raised, with the turbine production-ready. Shine can generate power at wind speeds from 8-28 mph at temperatures between 0-40C; the 3lb turbine has the capacity for four phone charges (12,000 mAh) and it should take under two minutes to set up.

Robert Prazak
Robert Prazak
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