Self-powered sensor for monitoring wind vibration on transmission lines based on an electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator

Abstract

High-voltage overhead transmission lines are in the wilderness and affected by environmental wind all year round. Prolonged wind vibrations can damage transmission lines. Herein, a method for remote online monitoring of ambient wind speed is presented based on a self-powered system of an electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator. The wind monitoring-electromagnetic-triboelectric hybrid generator (WM-ETHG) we designed was driven by ambient wind. The upper-layer triboelectric nanogenerator and lower-layer electromagnetic generator worked simultaneously without interference. With a peak power of 18.45 W m⁻², the WM-ETHG could power a microcontroller unit, signal-processing module and energy-management module for extended periods of time through a power-management circuit. The WM-ETHG could achieve a voltage frequency from 7 Hz to 70 Hz within wind speeds of 3–15 m s⁻¹, with a high goodness of fit (R² = 0.996). Finally, the cumulative duration of the wind vibration of transmission lines was recorded and analyzed using the WM-ETHG with an in-house-developed single-chip computer program. This work provides a new strategy for monitoring the wind vibration of transmission lines under continuous and stable wind speed using TENG technology. Such technology could be applied in power grids for a long time.