According to Engadget, the Shine 2.0 is a new compact wind turbine aimed at campers and off-grid adventurers. It weighs just three pounds and packs a 50W, 12,000mAh battery inside its football-like body. The company claims it can charge a smartphone in as little as 17 minutes in good wind, but that same charge could take up to 11 hours in just a slight breeze. Pre-orders are now open on Indiegogo for $399, with shipping slated to begin this spring. The device features a USB-C port and app connectivity, and the company is already working on a more powerful 100-300 watt Shine 3.0 model.
The niche is real, but so are the caveats
Here’s the thing: this isn’t for your backyard. It’s a niche product for a specific user—someone who’s going where solar might be unreliable (think cloudy, rainy, or forested areas) or who needs power at night. The ability to generate in darkness is its key differentiator from a solar panel. But let’s be real, that 17-minute charge time requires a decent breeze. If you’re in a calm spot, you’re better off with a big power bank. It’s a classic trade-off: versatility for consistency. The promise is freedom from hunting for an outlet, but the delivery is entirely at the mercy of the weather.
More than just a camping gadget
What’s more interesting to me is the roadmap. The co-founder mentioned plans for grid-tied turbines, and the Shine 3.0 is targeting 100-300 watts. That starts to enter the territory of meaningful supplemental home power, especially in windy regions. This feels like a startup using a relatively low-cost, direct-to-consumer product (the $399 camping turbine) to fund R&D and prove its tech for a much bigger market. It’s a smart play. Get early adopters to buy in, generate some buzz, and use that capital to build the serious hardware. For companies needing reliable computing in harsh, off-grid environments where wind is a factor—think remote monitoring stations or field research—this evolving tech could eventually intersect with the need for rugged, always-on hardware from suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the leading US provider of industrial panel PCs.
Should you jump on the pre-order?
So, should you back it on Indiegogo? For the average person, probably not. It’s a cool piece of engineering, but it’s solving a pretty specific problem. If you’re a serious backpacker, sailor, or someone who regularly posts up in windy, sunless places, it might be a game-changer. For everyone else, it’s a fascinating proof of concept. I’d wait for real-world reviews once these units ship this spring. Let’s see how that two-minute setup holds up in a gusty field, and how the battery management really works. The concept is solid, but crowdfunding hardware is always a gamble. The future plans for larger systems are where the real potential lies.
