Advancing Piezoelectric Wind Energy Solutions: Evaluating Turbine Rotor Blade Designs for Sustainable Smart City Infrastructure

Abstract

Smart energy solutions are critical to the development of smart cities, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which aims to transform urban centers through sustainable technologies. This transformation, driven by the widespread use of smart sensors for traffic regulation, parking systems, and environmental monitoring, requires efficient, eco-friendly energy sources to reduce reliance on conventional batteries. In the city of Hail, wind energy presents a promising opportunity to generate clean power for low-energy sensors. This paper introduces a compact small wind energy harvesting system (SWEHS) that integrates piezoelectric and electromagnetic mechanisms designed specifically for powering sensors in low-wind environments. The harvester consists of two concentric rings: an inner rotator ring containing four equally spaced permanent magnetic plates arranged in a symmetrical pole configuration to minimize starting torque and improve power generation at low wind speeds. The outer ring incorporates four piezoelectric benders coupled with magnetic plates, converting mechanical energy into electrical power. Experimental results show that the Savonius rotor design outperforms Helical Savonius and Cup rotors, achieving a peak power output of 0.767 mW at a resistive load of 15 kΩ and wind speed of 6.5 m/s. This design demonstrates superior efficiency in decentralized energy production, making it a viable solution for sustainable, low-power energy harvesting in smart city infrastructure.