A new street lighting system developed by the university's students is being implemented in a test mode at Novosibirsk State Technical University. The development has a great potential for implementation and, if successfully tested, can be offered for widespread use outside the university: in the urban economy and the private sector.
The project to develop an upgraded lighting system was a continuation of the work on creating a street lamp with a wind generator.
A few months ago, a team of students led by Kristina Titova, senior lecturer at the Department of Design of Technological Machines at the Faculty of Mechanics and Technology of NSTU-NETI, created two prototypes of streetlights with a 420 mm diameter light panel, but the results of practical tests led to the need for adjustments in the power supply of the wind turbine.
"As a result, we changed the design, manufactured the parts and assembled the modified prototypes. In the first prototype of the flashlight, a generator was left, which produces less power when the shaft rotates, but at the same time, a lower wind speed is required to start the rotation of its spiral — about 5 m/ s. The second prototype of the flashlight now contains an upgraded generator with rewound winding and replaced magnets, which allows it to generate significantly more power, while the wind speed required for launch has increased to only 6.5 m/s," said Kristina Titova.
Currently, prototypes of lanterns are being tested on campus: one is installed next to the sixth academic building, the second is on the roof. Such tests will make it possible to understand how the developed design of the lanterns behaves under real weather conditions in terms of both efficiency and reliability. "We took into account our difficult climate, so we chose the appropriate materials for our lanterns. The central part of the structure is made of special plastic, the lamp itself is made of aluminum alloy. It is also necessary to solve the rather difficult task of equipping the lanterns with appropriate electronics, the team of the Faculty of Energy is working on this problem in parallel," said Kristina Titova.
Based on the results of successful tests, the project to develop an upgraded system can be continued in the field of urban environment development, especially since the demand for environmental friendliness and "green technologies" is growing every year.