Students of Novosibirsk State Technical University (NETI) have combined a solar-powered street lamp with a wind generator, resulting in a design that will be equally useful in urban environments and in suburban areas.
Students of NSTU-NETI have created a lighting system that has the potential to be used both in urban and household settings. The development is a solar-powered street lamp combined with a wind turbine. This lamp differs from its analogues in its more advanced design, lightness, ease of operation and resistance to weather conditions.
"We immediately decided to modernize the existing models and ensure the autonomy of the flashlight. There are two ways to do this: install a wind turbine or solar panels, but we found a compromise and combined both solutions. Similar lanterns are rare, most of them are a huge solar panel and a small flashlight, and we needed to power a full-size external lighting device without major alterations and design interventions. This is the main difference between our project," said one of the developers, a student at the Faculty of Aircraft Vladimir Evstratov.
From the list of possible materials for making the updated street lamp, the development team chose PETG plastic — it is both lightweight, durable and wear-resistant. Some of the elements were decided to be made of plastic with carbon fiber filler. The result is a design that can withstand almost all the vagaries of the weather. "Our lamp is maximally adapted to real weather conditions: neither frost, nor rain, nor hail will be able to interfere with its operation," the developers are confident.
Currently, two prototypes of lanterns with a light panel with a radius of 210 mm and a diameter of 42 cm are ready, all of them are being tested in an air tube. The students are satisfied with the result of the intermediate tests and take the initiative to install a lamp on the university grounds. The exact height is still questionable, so far this parameter reaches almost the first floor.
Project Manager, Senior lecturer at the Department of Engineering of Technological Machines Kristina Titova noted that the project allows students to gain real practical skills and experience in design. "Development helps to immerse oneself in the production cycle from the idea to the creation of manufacturing technology and the final product," Kristina Titova emphasized.
At the end of last year, the development was among the winners of the NSTU-NETI student project competition, taking second place in the Engineering Projects nomination (junior league).