The widespread deployment of internet of things (IoT) networks for building energy management creates a critical demand for self-powered wind sensors capable of sustainable operation in HVAC duct environments. In this study, a charge-balanced triboelectric nanogenerator (CB-TENG) wind sensor is proposed, designed for robust, low-complexity IoT applications. Conventional methods typically rely on discrete pulse counting, which often necessitates fragile, high-output surface treatments to ensure signal clarity. In contrast, the proposed CB-TENG system operates by detecting the quasi-static voltage equilibrium established between triboelectric charge injection and circuit dissipation. This passive analog signal processing effectively decouples the sensitivity of sensors from the intrinsic performance of materials. By simply tuning the time constant of the readout circuit, mechanically robust non-treated flat polytetrafluoroethylene films were utilized without sacrificing signal quality. Experimental results demonstrated excellent sensing characteristics within a practical measurement range of 1.4 to 5.1 m/s, achieving high linearity with a Pearson’s correlation coefficient exceeding 0.99 across the effective measurement range. Crucially, rather than matching the high internal impedance of tens of MΩ typically required for maximum power output, the circuit parameters (optimized at 5.5 MΩ and 100 nF) were specifically tuned to govern the dynamic response, achieving a fast response time of 0.55 s in compliance with ISO 7726 standards. Furthermore, successful wireless data transmission using a general-purpose microcontroller confirmed the elimination of complex signal processing, validating the suitability of the system for resource-constrained IoT nodes where optimizing the analog front-end effectively substitutes for heavy computational loads. • CB-TENG wind sensor enables low-complexity self-powered HVAC airflow monitoring • Passive analog processing decouples sensitivity from triboelectric properties • High durability is achieved using flat films, avoiding fragile surface morphologies • CB-TENG enables cost-effective HVAC monitoring without expensive high-end processors • CB-TENG wind sensor achieves high linearity (r = 0.99) and 0.5 s ISO-compliant response • Wireless duct airflow sensing is achieved without complex DSP for IoT sensor nodes.
Lee et al. (Fri,) studied this question.