Performance of multiple energy harvesting elements in a small-scale windmill

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to investigate the characteristics of PCGEs used in a smallscale windmill in terms of the number of PCGEs. Design/methodology/approach - Experiments were performed in cases where one, two, or four PCGEs are attached to the frame of the windmill, with optimization of different gap distances between exciting and secondary magnets carried out to determine the optimal configuration for generating the peak voltage and harvesting the maximum wind energy for the same range of wind speeds. Findings - The experimental results show that the prototype can harvest energy in urban regions with low wind speeds and convert the wasted wind energy into electricity for city use. Originality/value - The experimental results show that the prototype can harvest energy in urban regions with low wind speeds and convert the wasted wind energy into electricity for city use.