How to Make an Inexpensive Vertical Wind Turbine - Part 1

I wish I had all the equipment to make this.

what does all that stuff cost ?

Check out part 2 for the electrical generation method. I am making a unit with sealed bearings now and it will be running in late August when I return.

thats cool and all! but what did you make it for? Looks. or to make power? Im sorta lost.
Those bearings are not made to turn all the time. those bearings will wear themselves down fast Since they dont need lube. i would have put smaller sealed bearings in that have less drag

idea is pretty nice , clean design without any difficult part. I would myself use lighter materials tough :-) also the recycle is quite good !
Just for the records: at 6:08 - 6:09 ...are those squeaky farts? :-) :-)

You are probably right. I have seen this done before on Racecom's squirrel cage VAWT but they don't seem to publish any figures on the increase of efficiency.

And we're all suffering from an energy crisis and poisoning the world all at the same time WHY?.....


AH, hello? WHY!?!?!?!?

Ive always wondered if you create a channel for the wind to follow onto your blades if it would work any better,gathering a lot more wind and concentrating it onto the turbine, am i missing something. ?

Please elaborate as I am open to improving my design. This design, while not as efficient as a HAWT is built from largely recycled materials and is charging batteries successfully.

good idea but still to slow and to big.

Thanks

I just put a link to part 2 in the video information block above right (click on more info). We are generating power now and will be comparing multiple types of power generation in future videos.

how do u install or make and install the generator?

Like this idea alot and would be willing to use, if you could apply a generator and it still worked efficiently. Are you at one point (and maybe already have but just cant find video) going to show it with a generator, making electricity?

Thanks. Mine has survived winds of over 50 mph and snow/ice/rain without problems. I have spoken to someone who has used bicycle hubs with chains for 25 years (with HAWTS) and swears by them, so I think that would be a viable way to go. Please let us know how your system goes and please post a video response.

I really like your design. Right now, the wind is blowing lumber around my yard--I live in a mountain pass at about 6800 ft. elevation. I'm afraid that a regular tower might get blown apart. Do you think your design would stand high winds (like 60mph+ gusts).
Do you think your design would work with a pulley&belt system or a bicycle hub. I don't have a CNC cutter. Thanks for sharing the work you've put into this.

The PVC barrels each weight 22 lbs so the entire system is around 50 lbs. Is that heavy? I have seen Savonius systems with steel barrels which way more than twice the weight of the PVC barrels. Also, one of my design goals was to use as much recycled material as possible in the turbine. I am certainly open to new ideas but also want to keep this design fairly inexpensive. I am making a pipe-tower to raise this up 20 feet also to generate more power.

i agree with (Americo 1974), becaus the wieght on the blades will give it more drag wich makes it so you produce less energy.
also it you may want to try the 'helix' design, because it gatheres wind from all directions, wich in your model it doesn't gather the wind from the top. but cool design.

Good job!!!I am in the process of building something similar. I have been stuck on the bearing part for awhile,, but thanks to you I have a great bearing plan now!! Thank you sir!!!!

thank-you, Your vid explains alot!

Please check out part 2. We are now generating power.

ironic it is made with plastic but Hey it works!
Thanks for sharing this dude! Im gonna see if I can pull the materials together.
:)

I'm not electrical engineer or anything, but I'd probably say maybe a dynamo? Though I'm guessing you wouldn't get a hell of a lot from just one of these constructions. Still, its an interesting project. And maybe if you made an array of them you could churn out a whole bunch of power.

How is it coming? Do you think part II will be done this week?
Thanks

Did you considered the weight factor, the ineficiency of the blades?

Nice lawn ornament

good idea but, what about the energy produced?

how could you transform the cinetic wind energy to electrical energy....