When we think of wind turbines, the image of large, hulking machines with equally giant blades immediately come to mind. Surely, they’re not the kind of thing that you’ll find sitting right outside somebody’s house any time soon. Janulus is trying to change that with Trinity, a new line of portable wind turbines that are even easier than solar panels to install and use.
How portable? Well, every single one of the wind turbines can be collapsed into a cylinder shape and housed inside a carrying tube, making them easy to transport. The smallest, at 12 inches long, can literally be crammed into a corner of a backpack, making it ideal for taking during camping, while the largest measures just 39 inches long, making it easy to carry by hand or place in the boot of a car.
The Janulus Trinity comes in four models: 50, 400, 1000, and 2500, with the number referring to the wattage of the onboard generator (it’s integrated into the cylinder). Each one comes with an inverter and a battery (7,500 mAh, 30,000 mAh, 100,000 mAh, and 300,000 mAh) all inside the same cylindrical body, so there’s literally no setup necessary beyond mounting it at a windy spot. Designed for use in both high and low wind conditions, the blades can be adjusted into either horizontal or vertical positions, depending on the wind speeds in the area (vertical is recommended from 25 mph up).
All the power generated is immediately fed to the onboard battery, which you can hook up to either via USB or a standard electrical socket (the latter only available on model 400 and up). It’s waterproof, too, so you don’t have to worry about frying the circuits when a drizzle comes along.
A Kickstarter campaign is currently running for Trinity. Pledges to reserve a unit starts at $399.