How to Make an Inexpensive Vertical Wind Turbine - Part 2

Yes, but it doesn't work much better because the savonius design passes air from one cup to another through the overlapped area to increase efficiency. Mine should have about 50% less overlap but don't because of the mechanical constraints of the plastic fittings I used to build them.

They are holding up well but I oil them monthly. I am building another unit with sealed bearings for testing but the sealed bearings seem to have more resistance than the lazy susan bearings.

I think it was 5 amps. I am in Spain for 6 weeks looking at wind and solar farms here now and can't double check it but I will when I get back on August 14th.

If you make one of these out of foam, please let us all know how it works out. I think you might get some remarkable performance from the lighter weight design.

hi. u showed 12v but how many amps was it?

seems like a lovely simple desgin. i may try and build it out of foam as mentioned..

How are your bearings holding up? Any recommendations for system improvement?

Have you considered bolting the sidewalls of the barrels to a central shaft instead of overlaping them to each other. That way the entire barrel can be utelized as a wind cup providing more torque (if not speed) and allow a higher gear ratio to run your generator faster.

Transponder and an iphone for navigation and controls too! :) There's a new video that shows an iphone being used as a nav and control module for a model airplane. Balloons over 1000 ft. will need a transponder... and it doesn't have to be a balloon in the big blimpy sense... if it's spinning fast enough it'll act like a frisbee... you just need to keep it from flying away which is where a tethering and onboard nav and safety system would come in play. Remote areas far from airports, farms...

I think electrolysis to produce hydrogen may be the way to go, since we will have electricity available. I think your idea has some real merit. The balloon should also be lighted at night for aircraft visibility.

Yes, lift is an issue, without doubt. However, a combination of electrolysis, maybe burning hydrogen or oxygen to produce heated air, or a co-gen element taking the heated air from the electrical generators and pushing the hot air into the balloon? I've seen plenty of little hyrdogen burn units here on youtube... :) The cable(s) would need to be heavy. Use a black balloon? Seal it and pump hot air in? Lots of workarounds. Need time to test all of these ideas...

That sounds like a great idea. The thing would be having enough ballon lift to hold up a heavy cable capable of transmitting a lot of power. Also, after a while wouldn't the balloon lose its lift and need to be re-inflated with hydrogen or helium?

I have been thinking a lot about height for wind vanes. I've seen a number of kite turbines. Selsam has some drawings of turbines strung like pearls, if I may, and tethered on one end to a balloon and the other to the ground. Variations on a balloon lift might very well be a solution. Inflatable turbines, using semi rigid materials, could be a very interesting solution for single person installation of remote power. Kite rotors. Drilling the sky for power.

well the Xbox and Ps2 are both 10 volt.

Yes, I have a TV (insignia 15" HD lcd ) which works well because I run 12v right into the tv instead of using the wall wart that came with it. Check to see if your PS2 or XBOX can run on 12v because it will run much longer than if you run a 110v inverter which loses a lot of power as heat.

Idk....A TV, Xbox or PS2, DVD/VCR?
You thik that would work?

I think a hybrid solar and wind unit will be the way to go for resort energy. I am going to do more measurement of power but am now designing low-cost towers to elevate my units.

Yes. You won't be powering an electric dryer however. What do you want to power?

I bought belts originally to do this and made wooden pulleys that looked like something out of the Flintstones and also got input from others who thought too much friction would be lost. I think these gears will handle the winter extremes we get in Syracuse without problems. I have heard that bicycle chain and sprockets are a good alternative.

So, I guess it's safe to say by your choice that a gear is better than using a belt between two wheals?

It also occurred to me that if the vanes(barrels) were configured to lift a little as the wind speed increases so as to save the life of the bearings... those lazy susans won't last THAT long, will they? Getting the vanes to lift to reduce the weight on the bearings might buy a little more time between maintenance.

Do you think that it would be possible to make one of these and have it power a couple things at once?

Many thanks for your speedy reply and willingness to share your science!
I'm looking specifically for designs that can be used in very remote areas. Unfortunately high wattage is required... min. of 1KW to get investors attention.
Avg cost of remote resort energy costs, off the grid, diesel power= 2k$ per day. 400 watts avg. per villa... can get close to 400 watts and still be aesthetically pleasing and be cost effective! That's the market IMHO.

It was about 15 mph so I am making a smaller gear for the generator to see if I can get that output at slower wind speeds.

I am not sure. I am going to put one up on the internet at some point after I finish testing out a few more designs.

Very interesting. Do you think there is a market for selling the kits for the DIY crowd?

I have seen plastic pulleys for alternators lately (at auto supply shops) but I'm not sure how to find one to fit your turbine. There are also multiple sized pulleys for drill presses that allow you to change ratios by slipping the belt onto different sized pulleys without disassembling your machine. What is the minimum wind speed to get 12 volts?

Thanks for posting!