homemade wind turbines

[Potter's Farm]

Has anyone out there created their own wind turbine? We'd appreciate any tips, hints or ideas. We'd love to use wind power, we're on quite an exposed windy site but the cost of getting someone in to do a turbine for us is well out of our budget.

I recall seeing a chap with a huge moustache on a tv programme a few years ago who created his own and stored the electricity in old tank batteries....ring any bells??

Thanks everyone

[RuthG]

The chap you are referring to is Dick Stawbridge.

Also, have a look here: http://www.scoraigwind.com/

[countrybumkin]

I've made one, I used a dynamo off a push-bike. Many people will suggest using a alternator but it won't work efficiently because it has to spin too fast, while a push-bike dynamo doesn't need as much wind speed to make it charge 12v. Dynamo's only produce 4.8v at 300 hundred revs a minute, you go faster than that it produces 12v (the faster it spins the higher the voltage) I've charged up car battery's with it no problem but if your looking to run your house, you would have to have to make the blades much bigger and have a bank of truck battery's and a 240 inverter. I got my plans from http://www.gotwind.org/ but Ideally I'd suggest getting solar panels, they are far more efficient than wind power (No Wind no charge) and also the newer ones work even in cloudy conditions.
Hope that helps

[dave45]

Try this

http://www.scribd.com/doc/30434750/Wind ... nd-Turbine

I bought the book from CAT in mid-Wales.. I think he does courses there.

[Durgan]

Before you expend a lot of money. Have a look at the power generated, other than for fun, the windmill has to be huge before you get much power. And I mean huge.

[Crickleymal]

Try this site too http://www.builditsolar.com/. Although I agree with Durgan you do need a fairly large turbine to extract much useful energy.

[KathyLauren]

Neighbours of mine have a home-made wind turbine. It is fairly big: the blades are about 8 feet long each. The guy actually wound the coils of the generator and installed the magnets himself, so it really is fully home-made! I don't know the wattage, but between the wind power and the solar panels, they power their entire house off it, including stereo, computer, and even a washing machine.

[Durgan]

Neighbours of mine have a home-made wind turbine. It is fairly big: the blades are about 8 feet long each. The guy actually wound the coils of the generator and installed the magnets himself, so it really is fully home-made! I don't know the wattage, but between the wind power and the solar panels, they power their entire house off it, including stereo, computer, and even a washing machine.

It must be one hell of an installation, and a great deal of money spent. The common working man could not even contemplate such an installation.

[KathyLauren]

No doubt, the solar panels and batteries cost a bit. The wind turbine, while it required some materials obviously, is not an extravagant installation. They are not wealthy people, which would be why they built it themselves instead of buying it ready-made.

I suspect your disbelief comes from the phrase "their entire house". It is not a house like the average North American consumer lives in, and they do not live the typical North American lifestyle. They use electricity frugally, because they know they have to live within their energy budget. They have electric lights, but they are few, and of low wattage. The have a computer, but it is not on all day. They have a washing machine, but they likely only use it on windy or sunny days, and maybe not on the same day as the computer.

If your preconception is that the western lifestyle is non-negotiable, as George Bush Sr. famously said, then a home-built wind turbine isn't going to work. If you are prepared to live frugally, then it is.

[Durgan]

No doubt, the solar panels and batteries cost a bit. The wind turbine, while it required some materials obviously, is not an extravagant installation. They are not wealthy people, which would be why they built it themselves instead of buying it ready-made.

I suspect your disbelief comes from the phrase "their entire house". It is not a house like the average North American consumer lives in, and they do not live the typical North American lifestyle. They use electricity frugally, because they know they have to live within their energy budget. They have electric lights, but they are few, and of low wattage. The have a computer, but it is not on all day. They have a washing machine, but they likely only use it on windy or sunny days, and maybe not on the same day as the computer.

If your preconception is that the western lifestyle is non-negotiable, as George Bush Sr. famously said, then a home-built wind turbine isn't going to work. If you are prepared to live frugally, then it is.

Unfortunately, I spent the first 15 years of my life on a 160 acre virgin land homestead in Northern Saskatchewan, Carrot River (look it up) to be exact, in a two room log cabin, with a second floor open room. Built by my Father from round logs. We managed to clear 40 acres of bush in ten years, with horse and hand labour. A log cabin is the coldest inhabitation possible except when it was covered with snow.

We had a few animals, cows, pigs and chickens, and a team of horses. Wood stove, coal oil lamps, no electricity, well with bucket for water. Cut our own wood for the severest winters in Canada. Sometimes battery radio, the battery charged periodically when we went to town. Anybody who desires to go back to that has to be loose in the head.

That as not living frugally. It was constant hardship. Cold miserable work constantly. We spent all our time trying to get sufficient heat, light and food. Hand washing with scrub board and eventually one of those manual washing machines. Fortunately, we did not need much light, since we were in bed, due to being almost exhausted, at sundown and up at day break. Three miles walking to a one room school when I went, which was seldom. A bath in a tub about four times during the Winter.

Eventually I sold my soul for a pay check and raised a family.

Being frugal and self sufficient takes a lot of effort, and few people have the fortitude to give up their modern accommodation, and conveniences. A thermostat, running water hot and cold, automatic washing machine, electric lights, store bought food instead of cutting the head off a chicken, are hard to forgo once being introduced to modern life styles.

[KathyLauren]

Three miles walking to a one room school when I went,

Uphill both ways, no doubt!

It seems to me there is considerable room between the two extremes. My neighbours don't look like they are living in hardship.

[greenorelse]

I have a couple of friends who are not grid-connected. They have a small wind turbine and 6 pv panels, plus of course a bank of batteries. They have no 12vc stuff. It's all regular (though consciously low-wattage as much as poss.) gear in their house, through an inverter. His answer about efficiency of this set-up? "It's easy to buy stuff and it leaves the house in a 'normal' state, that is, it could be connected to the grid if the next occupants want."

They obviously have to be 'aware' and careful of usage but they have as much as anyone really needs (it helps to have access to some wood for the stove of course) including the usual vacuum cleaner, washing machine, fridge, computer, lights. No solar hot water, which surprised me.

Here's a picture of their generating machinery:

chris & hilarys 20110904 02.jpg (229.83 KiB) Viewed 5158 times

It is not cheap but it is possible to live off-grid and still have a reasonably comfortable life.

[Doc Cox]

Have you thought of using the motor and drum from an LG washing machine to make VAWT, ther is plenty of info on you tube and various web sites, look for the fisher paykel motor as this is virtually or the same as the LG motor, hope this helps regards Doc Cox

[Durgan]

Three miles walking to a one room school when I went,

Uphill both ways, no doubt!

It seems to me there is considerable room between the two extremes. My neighbours don't look like they are living in hardship.

Good try. The land was a flat as a pancake. And anybody who wore a band around his head was a real brown Indian from the Red Earth Reserve about 25 miles from our shack.

[Durgan]

Going green? This is where I spend the first 15 years of my life. Six of my sibling were born here. Few cameras around and film was expensive, so have few pictures. Everybody babbles about going green but they want to take all the modern conveniences with them. It is like being half pregnant. There is nothing romantic about going green.