This DIY wind turbine is based on ‘Lenz2 lift+drag design’ and made from aluminum lithographic offset printing plates. The designer, Connell, says that the plates can be obtained from a printing company for a cheap price.
He said that the turbine should cause approximately 15-30 dollars, including bolts and pop rivets. It is estimated that one can build the wind turbine without much effort in less than six hours.
The only thing needed to build this wind turbine is a pop riveter and assorted hardware, like bolts, washers, and nuts. The wind turbine can either be three vane or six vane. The three vane wind turbine is durable to up to 80 km/h, while the six vane wind turbine is can stand to 105 km/h fast wind.
To harvest and collect electrical energy from the wind turbine, an alternator to the rotor might be needed. Otherwise, the turbine can be attached to pump water or spin flywheel for mechanical rotation. The six vane version can produce at least 135 Watts with 30 km/h wind when an alternator is used.
While the efficiency of the wind turbine stays relatively unchanged, there are factors that can change the numbers. For example, the efficiency of the chosen alternator will have a great impact on the efficiency of the wind turbine.
No matter what, a single such DIY wind turbine couldn’t possibly power an entire house; however, if a series of them could be built, it is possible that some essential parts of a house can benefit from the stored energy.
Renewable energy has been becoming one of the most popular trends in saving energy due to climate change. After this article, energy is not going to be the only thing that you will save; you will also save money!
[via treehugger]
