I cover a lot of solar generators here, and they are all the rage. I’ve tested dozens of devices over the past few years and seen the technology go from strength to strength.
But I often get asked, “What happens when the clouds roll in and the sun vanishes?” Living in the UK, the sun can be in short supply for much of the year.
This is when you turn your attention from solar to wind power. And there’s one company that makes portable wind turbines perfect for charging your smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices: Shine Turbine
Once set up, it’s a robust bit of kit!
Adrian Kingsley-Hughes/ZDNET
Once set up, you have options. You can let the turbine charge up the internal battery and then use that to charge your devices, or you can attach a power bank to the turbine. Your choice depends on how you’re using the setup. Using the entire turbine as a big power bank makes sense for odd top-ups on the move, but in a base camp setting, it’s better to charge separate power banks and use those, keeping the reserve in the turbine for backup on still days.
I’ve found the Shine Turbine to be quite effective, but there are limitations. First, the 40-watt output is a low amount of power if you’re used to having 100- or 200-watt solar panels at your disposal. The Shine is ideal for smartphones, tablets, drones, and cameras, but laptops and other bigger devices are off the cards.
Setup is also rather time-consuming. I’m used to being able to throw solar panels out for my power stations in seconds. The best I got the setup time for the Shine Turbine was about ten minutes. Also, taking the turbine down involves carefully packing the guy lines away so as not to make the next setup a painful one.
But despite the downsides, the Shine Turbine is a great way to harvest power from Mother Nature when you are away from an AC outlet.
ZDNET’s buying advice
If you need power and can’t rely on the sun, the Shine Turbine
