One of the biggest issues with solar panels is that they can only really generate energy when the sun is shining. Wind turbines, however, only need a little wind to get your batteries charging. And with the Shine 2.0 portable wind turbine, you’ll only need an eight-mile-per-hour breeze to keep the blades spinning and your electronics running.
This new portable power option is currently available for preorder through the company’s Kickstarter campaign. And, if you pick up one of the options available through Kickstarter, you can get a discount on its full $571 retail price. The Shine 2.0 is an improved version of the company’s portable turbine, and it comes with a few big upgrades that will be welcome additions for campers and travelers.
The Shine 2.0 portable wind turbine comes with a three-foot-tall support, as well as stability cables, all designed to help you set it up and fold it back down into a three-pound package for easy maneuvering. When compacted for traveling, the company says it will be fairly comparable to the size of a water bottle—though a little larger. Despite that, it’ll still be small enough to be carried in a backpack.
The Shine 2.0 can generate power from wind speeds ranging from just eight miles per hour to 28mph. At max speed, the company says it will produce up to 50W of power—enough electricity to charge a laptop fully within just two hours. At the bare minimum, though, power generation will be well below 5W, making it take around 11 hours to charge a smartphone.
It’s not the most efficient portable wind turbine or generator out there, but if you want something that isn’t going to rely on the sun being out and shining to generate electricity, then the Shine 2.0 seems like a solid option. Of course, you’ll probably want to take a look at just how much electricity you need to generate for your needs before choosing it over anything else.
