Homemade wind turbines

[Colored Egg Farmer]

Has anyone ever made a wind turbine? I'm looking all over the web atm for ideas and plans and might actually create my own.

 

[johnElarue]

I've made a few small ones, nothing to brag about.

The best info can be found at http://www.otherpower.com/ I believe.

 

[On Our own]

Did you buy from other power ? I'd like to know what they are like to work with and how reliable they are.

 

[johnElarue]

No, I haven't bought anything from otherpower.com, just made some simple low power machines from DC motors.

Their turbine kits look robust enough, I've been reading that site for a long time and it seems at worst the blade could fail, but that is true for most turbines.

They basically copied Hugh Piggot of Scotland, who pioneered the field of homebrewed wind turbines. I haven't come across much material on the net knocking either of them.

If you've got the machining\welding skills, even better, make it yourself. Wish I'd went to VoTech sometimes, doh!

 

[Mackay]

I saw one once made from a plastic barrel. It was cut in half length wise and each half inserted into the other to make cups. It had ball berrings involved. It hung from the bottom side of a second story deck on a house. It was really neat and cost about $300 to make. Wish I could tell you more. I saw it on T Boone Pickens site.. www.pickensplan.com and I have since gone back looking for it and couldn't find it. Im sure its still there but sooo many people post there, theres tons of info. There were color photos of it with basic instructions.

 

[solarkate]

You can MAKE a wind turbine?!?!

 

[k0xxx]

You can MAKE a wind turbine?!?!

You can do a web search for "homemade wind turbine" or "homemade wind generator" and find a lot of info. One of my favorite pages can be found here .

This is definitely something that I would like to try in the future, as a way to keep some emergency back-up batteries charged.

 

[big brown horse]

This is our next project.

We can't really harvest solar power, (too many clouds most of the year) but wind power is an option for us. When the economy turns around and we have more cash flow (unless they will do a trade for eggs or potatoes), it will be next on our agenda, hopefully in the next year or so.

 

[julied]

I totally agree with johnElarue. Otherpower is the best. My husband researched wind turbines there for a couple of years and then built his own. Bought products through them (wire, magnets)and they are a great bunch of people. Wind turbines are nice when you have wind LOL, but here in Michigan we don't get much. Ours is a 12' turbine, on a 70' tower. All "homebuilt". Needless to say I'm pretty proud of his accomplishment. We have a bank of batteries to store power in but we also have 4 solar panels. The sun definately "out powers" the wind. Happy with both though.

 

[kyhighlander]

you can get the alternators at www.windbluepower.com. they have permanent magnet rotors so you don't have to excite it. They also have a lot of kits and such.

youtube also has a guy on there that makes a turbine from 3 inch pvc pipe, blades and all. then uses one of the alternators from windbluepower.

Good luck with your project.

KY