Digg

Discover the best of the web!
Learn more about Digg by taking the tour.

Generate your own energy for almost nothing

instructables.com — The Chispito Wind Generator was designed to be simple and efficient with fast and easy construction. There are no limits to what you can do with wind power. There is nothing more rewarding and empowering than making a wind powered generator from scrap materials. Most of the tools and materials in this manual can be found in your local hardware shop

Bury

bonlebon 1 year 333 days ago, made popular 1 year 333 days ago

2075 diggs
digg it

JamesNewton, on 10/12/2007, -5/+31Now that is cool! Wind energy isn't the total solution, and it DOES have it's limits, but this is a great start on one solution.
- DaWolfman, on 10/12/2007, -44/+14"There are no limits to what you can do with wind power."
  
  Wrong. Wind power is only available in certain parts of the world.
- jdb252, on 10/12/2007, -3/+7Hopefully we here in America can build the new Hoover - Fast, cheap, renewable energy at a clean medium - Except this Hoover's in Iowa.
- nosmelc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+21I think it's great that this group came up with a DIY wind generator but the problem for most is the "Not in my backyard" attitude. I think it was Massachusetts that wouldn't allow windmills off of their coasts because they didn't like the look of them. I live in the 'burbs and I don't think I'd be able to get a windmill past the Homeowners association.
- 0crabby0, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2It would be great to have this, but we don't have enough wind around here. :(
- qwertguk, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1He meant with wind power, not without it.
- RentEZdotCOM, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Yea this is cool, but what they need to do next is add back up solar panels.
- Moly, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2It's. 100. Watts. BFD.
- Twango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"It's. 100. Watts. BFD."
  
  Yeah. The number one problem with finding solutions (in America anyway) is how much power we've gotten used to consuming ... and how easy it's been made for us to just keep pigging out. That's not going to work in the long term.
  
  100 watts is definitely hobby level power. So ... how much would you pay for a 1000-watt kit?
- Moly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2$250 for a 1kW kit isn't bad. $250 for a 100W kit is a joke, especially since that isn't all of the expense of the project - not by a long shot.
- PowerCow, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3going to hook one up to a fan and point it at the turbine, instant perpetual motion device. Screw the laws of physics.[/joke]
- hooray4Zoidberg, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0"I think it was Massachusetts that wouldn't allow windmills off of their coasts because they didn't like the look of them."
  
  I don't think it's Massachusetts. I live on the coast of Mass and there is one about a mile from my house just outside Boston. I also know of at least 3 other windmills located in coastal towns. One of them is huge and really kind of scary looking. It looks like it's going to devour the town.
- fauxXenophanes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yeah! live off the grid. Now first off,sever your internet connection...uh whut?
Tiak, on 10/12/2007, -3/+42Yay for cheap energy that actually obeys the laws of physics!

(seriously, 3 times on steorn was a bit excessive...)
- ayeroxor, on 10/12/2007, -3/+17wtf is a steorn?
- bloodmoney, on 10/12/2007, -52/+4@ayeroxor
  
  Hang out at digg much?
- KenMo, on 10/12/2007, -5/+50@bloodmoney
  
  Why can't you just tell him instead of being a prick?
- KenMo, on 10/12/2007, -2/+15http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steorn
- dadrew1, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9According to Steorn's advertisement in The Economist, "we have developed a technology that produces free, clean and constant energy. Our technology has been independently validated by engineers and scientists— always behind closed doors, always off the record, always proven to work." [1]
  
  -- from the Wikipedia
- vbsurfer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Thermodynamics...but than again...anyone and everything has the potential to break rules.
anonatron, on 10/12/2007, -1/+15they offer an assembled kit for $250
- mherskovitz, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4if you check their website you will see they are sold out of the kits and also of the finished units. all that are available are the build-it-yourself manuals.
  
  "UPDATE June 5, 2006 - WE HAVE SOLD OUT OF ALL CHISPITO UNITS, BUT YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN WITH OUR CHISPITO HOW-TO!
  
  WIND GENERATOR INFORMATION
  Chispito Wind Generator Construction Manual and NEW Chispito Installation Manual with some extra tips and steps that were not previously covered anywhere else. See also our Chispito Bare-Bones Manual on how to put together your Chispito Bare-Bones Kit (SOLD OUT) featured in our store."
- quietbob, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3check this before you buy:
  
  "I can't agree that a geared system is significantly less efficient, since all windmills used on commercial windmill farms use a gearbox to convert that torque to speed into the generator at a loss no greater than 0.002% from oil-viscosity. At lower speeds you are much more subject to the losses such as eddy currents and non-inductive electrical resistance. Using scrap bicycles for a chain-drive system is perfectly feasable with minimal losses and minimal cost. I would never use a friction-belt drive, not even serpentine belts for this project, as losses are too high for them."
  
  "Treadmill motors are not rated by volts-per-rpm, and trying to do the math of peak rpm at a given voltage is simply bad math and judgement because this characteristic is never static, even for a DC PM motor. Form-factor and inductive-reluctance have much to do with actual power output, and the math changes when used as a generator because efficiency and inductive-reactance flip from motor-to-generator values....."
  
  "On the flip side is that if you are more prone to gusts rather than sustained wind, you would have to be "quicker-on-the-draw" rather than using brute-force, however this condition is much harder to harness power from because of the bane of generator/motor existance: rotational-inertia..."
  
  "Commercial windmills spin at a max of about 150-200 rpm but manage to produce tens-of-thousands of watts of power, and they are most certainly not driving a 1:1 ratio, however at a 115-foot span or so. You are working with 15 feet at best....Just put a little ingenuity to it....The idea is to generate voltage and convert it to the appropriate amperage, so that even the lowest breeze can be made useful..."
  
  "Complexity is not any measure of efficiency, it's adding complexity where it it has limited gains that reduces output. Looking at a commercial windmill farm generator, you will see that it is quite a complex design, including the transmission. What I am suggesting is that you get the most out of the motor, as a 100W generator seems hardly worth the effort of all this construction. Your design is sound, I'm just saying with a little more refinement it can be far more effective. If $20 or a few more hours of work can increase output 5-fold, I'd say it's worth it."
  
  "More blades is more torque for an increased drive ratio, and actually increases total efficency dramatically. The space between the blades is lost surface area that can be captured to transmit more torque. The only reason you don't see the commercial windmills with more than 3 blades is because of tower strength and total blade speed that would result (too fast and it flies apart). More frontal surface area to the blades means you need more strength to withstand the wind trying to simply blow it down, and will generate more torque at a given wind speed. 3 blades makes it quicker to respond, but less capable of using a constqnt breeze..."
  
  "Wind generation, is not about speed so much as it is about torque-at-speed...Speed is handled after the fact....No torque, no power."
  
  "You are trying to capture as much of any avaliable airflow as possible, so take a hint from the generator fan on a jet engine (the only turbine you can see from the outside)....there's a reason why it has so many blades. Having 3 blades is efficient like the 3 poles of a 6vdc hobby motor, even farm windmills used as well pumps use no less than 10 blades..."
  
  "As far as cooling, what you are not taking into account is that the airflow created by spinning at 5000 rpm helps to cool the windings somewhat, a small centrifugal fan on the shaft can help pump that out while still maintaining losses (gearbox included) to less than 2%. Losses at such slow speeds with such a "motor" are well over 15% of your output as these losses are absorbed first before any power can be reaped in the first place. If this generator heats up too much for this, then you need something better to run it from. An automotive electric radator fan motor (or similar automotive-grade PM motor) from any car would suffice far more than using a motor with a higher rotational inertia such as this one."
  
  "To use a 1.5-2.5 HP motor to generate a mere 100W is just silly when it can generate 1-5 kW or more within safe limits. Just because it feels slightly warm does not mean it's overheating. Just insulation-class B temperatire-rise will scald you almost instantly, class F rise will boil water into steam without a problem."
  
  "I have not yet seen a 260VDC treadmill motor, what I have seen is 90, 115, and 120VDC, the latter of which being 2.5 HP. I can generate 50 watts from simply spinning the shaft by hand, far more torque than I could expect from the mild breeze even on such a conservative fan blade...."
  
  "Again, your design is sound, but I am intimately versed with electromotives, and I can say that you are not taking advantage of what this kit can be capable of. For anyone attempting to build this on their own, they should at least understand what they are getting into, or the return will be very poor for all the effort...Some electrical capability is adviseable to make such a project work, and a paltry 100 watts does not make this project look as good as it can be....that's only enough to power a light bulb alone, why not be able to light the entire house instead of just one room?"
  
  "I will also add that a slipring joint at the pivot's base at the meager 100W you suggest would give you about a 0.000045% loss due to resistance, and be far less maintenance than replacing wires that were fatigued to death or taking the tower down to otherwise untwist the wire so that it can become omni-directional again (which could be every other day). Wind does not often do 360's, but the inertia of the rotating mass of the unit in a gusty environment can cause it to rotate many dozens of times in one direction..."
  
  "Furthermore slip-rings and their parts can be easily made by a smart person with some glue and blocks of scrap plastic to work with. At 1000 watts (~8.3 amps @ 120V) still proves an insignificant electrical loss even with the crudest of construction, and a tremendous improvement in reliability and dependability. You can only bend/twiast wire so much before it finally breaks..."
  
  "I do strongly agree that the automotive alternator is not even close to feasable for this design unless you are in a constantly-windy area, and not without extensive design modificatuions anyway. Don't bother using an alternator for this unless you just want a large lawn ornament..."
  
  ""Myself" had the right idea, so maybe these ideas are worth more consideration for those trying to build their own instead of buying a prefab kit, which is kinda what instructables is all about, unless I am mistaken somehow..."
  
  "Prefab kits take the fun out of it....Half the fun is making it from a pile of what was otherwise....junk...If you are going to use direct-drivwe, use the highest-volatge of motor you can find because you will need it to convert the low speed into high voltage...."
jer2eydevil88, on 10/12/2007, -36/+8This article is for that 1% of people who have the time to build a wind generator... honestly a good idea but it might be more useful if someone posted a list of cheap contractors who can provide this service
- alanspach, on 10/12/2007, -5/+21negative nancy, lazy lucy
- schmichael, on 10/12/2007, -10/+27for some reason it makes me happy when people with apple icons post stupid comments. just saying...
- 2damntall, on 10/12/2007, -19/+6"for some reason it makes me happy when people with apple icons post stupid comments. just saying.."
  
  So when is yours going up?
  What you're not thinking about is how many of these it would actually take to run your house. You're not even going to build 1. I promise you. I'll eat my damned hat if you do. The twenty or thirty it would take to run your home? Not a chance. His comment held some weight, and a few people are to busy in their "I read digg so ima genious and I build every diy on here" circle jerk to realize it.
- carve, on 10/12/2007, -2/+11RTFA. You can buy a pre-assembled windmill generator for $250.
- Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@carve: RTFA, they're sold out. Still, OP is kind of negative.
ericeman, on 10/12/2007, -25/+3"There is nothing more rewarding and empowering than making a wind powered generator from scrap materials."

That is an example of personal opinion trickeling into what is supposed to be unbiased news.

Unless you meant 'empowering' as a pun... if so, than 'ha'!
- blackmariah, on 10/12/2007, -6/+25Since your dumb ass hasn't noticed, this place isn't exactly the pinnacle of jounalistic integrity. Everything is user-submitted which means, shock and horror, that OPINIONS ARE INVOLVED. STFU.
- beckerist, on 10/12/2007, -26/+4and my opinion is that blackmariah is a douchebag,
Desolite, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11Wind energy sounds good, yeah... but its pretty inefficient and there are 2 major problems with it:

1. you need wind
2. wind mills create vortexes from the end of the blades that pull moisture from the ground. just beware when your grass starts dying...

#2 wouldn't matter in very humid places like florida or if it were high enough off the ground. but the big ones dry out large areas of grass.

cool DIY regardless. oh, and check out solar panels too if you're into green energy, with government & state rebates the cost next to nothing and can actually pay you for the energy they generate.
- rockefeller, on 10/12/2007, -2/+14Could you provide some details to prove...."check out solar panels too if you're into green energy, with government & state rebates the cost next to nothing"
  
  Every analysis on solar panels I've read requires an initial investment of about 30-40k, and state and government rebates give back maybe 10-15k. So I'd like to see how you come up with "next to nothing."
  
  Economically, I'm still better off buying my electricity from a utility.
- sembetu, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7This is only in response to your comment about wind drawbacks (i.e. drawing moisture from the ground). Solar has its drawbacks as well. Due to the collecive stored heat it has the effect of raising localized temperature, which can affect local weather patterns. Widely adopted, overall climate could shift as a result, just like the heat islands we see as a result of urbanization.
  
  It is likely there are no perfect solutions, and if you look for them, you can find drawbacks, but looking at a "lesser of two evils" scenario, I think anyone would agree that small raises in temperature or a little less humidity are far less impactful to the environment that the tons of greenhouse gasses that are released into the atmosphere today.
  
  Besides, with wider adoption, it is likely that protective measures could be implemented to protect the environment while still providing renewable energy sources.
- colobikeguy, on 10/12/2007, -10/+4I believe this is someone trying to promote his own weenie sun products over the wind products. The wind god rules over the sun god because the sun can be blocked by the wind and the more sun is on the earth then the more moisture is in the air then the clouds form then the wind forms.... errr...
  
  or is it paper, rock, then scissors? or scissors, paper, then rock? Can't remember.
  
  face it wind power rules cuz you can point to something in ur overalls and say while chewing on a wheat stalk, "See dat ting over der? I made dat wit my bear hands. I makes us ELECTRICITY by Gawd!"
- DogzOfWar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1rockefeller, you can't really recoup your upfront costs with the state and local subsidies. But saving money on your montly power bill, and reinvesting that adds up. Plus, it adds tremendous value to the home when you go to sell it ( "Hey, never pay an electric bill again!")
  
  So i think overall he's right. Get a solar installation on your roof would generate more power, and be more economical.
  
  But maybe just not as cool as making your own windfarm from spare parts.
- Twango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3"Solar has its drawbacks as well.
  
  It's a good idea to distinguish between solar -electric- and solar -heat- ... for both hot water and (with adequate storage) house-heating. Tech to solar-heat homes has been around for decades. It's a very real option in homes designed with good insulation, south-facing windows, and adequate thermal mass built in.
  
  "Due to the collecive stored heat it has the effect of raising localized temperature, which can affect local weather patterns."
  
  The sun light that falls is going to fall anyway, so this is completely bogus.
- lakawak, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1DogzofWar...don't be making assumptions based on "gut instinct" that it would increase the resale value of your home. Maybe it does in some cases, but in many cases, it would not. People tend to think that nything they add to their home that they want will increase their homes resale value. And far too often when they actually try to sell their home, they find out that they were wrong. Many people consider things like this an eyesore. Therefore, you automatically are exclusing potential buyers, which in turn could LOWER the value of your house.
  
  It is like with swimming pools. People always think that they will increase the value of their house with one. And unless they have a really expensive house to begin with, they almost ALWAYS lower the value due to the maintenance cost assocated with them. Obviously wind mills are not pools, but the point is, you based your statement on nothing but a non-expert opinion (yours) and nothing else.
- Desolite, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1ok, its been a while since this article was posted - but i'll answer your question anyway rockerfeller... you said:
  
  ///quote///
  Every analysis on solar panels I've read requires an initial investment of about 30-40k, and state and government rebates give back maybe 10-15k. So I'd like to see how you come up with "next to nothing."
  
  Economically, I'm still better off buying my electricity from a utility.
  ///quote///
  
  In NY - the initial investment is closer to 40-50k, including installation. State, government, and UTILITIES rebates (yes, the lighting company gives you a rebate) add up to 45k. I don't have the actual breakdown, but thats what it came out to for my neighbor who will be installing my system. You get the rebates approved by all of these entities BEFORE buying the system, so you know what you're paying for.
  
  Ok so that puts you at $5k initial investment. Well, with prior $400/mo+ electric bills (5 person family with computers, ACs, TVs, etc.) you're bills become $0.00 after the solar panel installation. You also sell back whatever electricity you generate that you don't use to the electric company - they pay you for this. At the end of the year you MAKE, thats right, you make $500-$2000+ depending on how much electricity you sold them. There's no cap on this. Do the math and you can see that its paid off possibly within a year... but definitely less than 3 or 4 if you have lower electric bills to start with. Economically... you're wrong, so i won't be asking you for financial advice :-P
  
  More benefits: Blackouts. What are they? nothing to someone with solar panels. (without batteries, this only helps during sunlight).
  
  Cons: unless you have an expensive battery system, you can't actually store energy - but with battery technology changing all the time, this may not be a con for too long.
sparc, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I dugg it! Thanks!
Wind is available nearly everywhere, but yes wind power might only be available where it is suitable to install a tower/wind turbine. It certainly is not something the majority of people will try to build. And it is not as simple as the article might first make it seem. As it says at the bottom of the article "You will need a tower, wire, ammeter, charge controller/regulator, and a battery bank ".

But anyway that I can reduce the amount of money I have to send each month to the utility company is well worth looking at.
Feanor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+14They are 100 watt units. 4 or 5 of these will power your computer on a breezy day!
- Ragnar0k, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7Point, my PSU is 600W, it doesn't use all of it, but it's still an energy ho... Perhaps it should feed into batteries and be an "in case of emergency" item? Or, if you must live in a remote location occasionally, where there's only a phone and a few bulbs, it'd essentially save all electricity hassle.
  
  Sure it won't power our geek-fetished SLI mini-Gods, but it definitely has uses.
  
  ``Ragnarok
- ProBeast, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8My thought exactly, Feanor. I guess it gets a tad annoying having monitor how much power you have left all the time, while yelling "Blow! Give me some wind dammit!" out the window. But it's free :)
- Prometheus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"geek-fetished mini-Gods"
  
  ...so true.
Teaboy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4Single page version: http://www.velacreations.com/chispito.html

But what can you do once you've got a charged 14v battery?
- DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Start your car.
- Twango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"But what can you do once you've got a charged 14v battery?"
  
  Take a look at all the 12vdc devices out there in the marketplace and take your pick.
DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -1/+9Cool. I can't wait to build one and put it up my apartment. Oh, wait...
noahhoward, on 10/12/2007, -4/+3Anyone else have IE crash when trying to open this...

Microsoft doesn't want me to have anything for free. And the Coast Guard doesn't want me to have firefox :P.
ayeroxor, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7"[...] in conclusion, There are no limits to what you can do with wind power!!!

(c)2006Chispito Wind Generators.com
Chispito Wind Generators are the official power generation mechanism of Zombo.com"
- zerovertex, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5The only limit is yourself... and wind power.
  
  *This is a paid political advertisement for Zombo.com for President in 2008*
DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -1/+10Hmm. Math time.
Unit costs $250 and generates .1kW
Electricity costs $.1/kWh. ( actual cost is less )
How long will one unit take to pay for itself?

Ans:
1) determine the amount of electricity in kWh one could buy with $250: x=$250/($.1/kWh)=2500kWh of electricity
2) unit generates .1kW, so t=2500kWh/.1kW=25000h=1041.6days=2.85 years.

It will take this unit 2.85 years of continuous operation at maximum efficiency to pay for it self. That does not include any maintenance costs.
- rockefeller, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6You're not considering time value of money. You have to do a time value analysis.
  
  I couldn't explain it here in this thread, but pick up any Engineering Economics book to get the details.
  
  Basically you have to take into consideration the amount of interest that could possibly be earned if you hadn't spent the $250 on the initial investment.
  
  This is commonly overlooked, but it will greatly effect the results.
- DaveV, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3Yes, I could do that. But, for the exercise here, this answer is enough. After all, I am using almost twice the cost of electicity for simplicity and assuming that the device is going to run at maximum efficiency the entire time it is in operations.
  
  If I were to do a complete analysis, I would have to choose numbers for average per-day operation and at what the average output would be while operating, etc.
  
  I would guess that actual time to break even would be more like 10 years. Possibly more.
- Bullsnot, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3You really feel there needs to consider time value of money when you are talking about $250 over the course of a few years? How much interest are you planning on making/being charged on that $4 per day? The point was more then sufficient.
- Twango, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1"It will take this unit 2.85 years of continuous operation at maximum efficiency to pay for it self."
  
  Straw man. How does the power people use to play computer games and keep skyscrapers lit all night pay for itself?
  
  Little home projects are not solutions to the energy crisis, any more than a 100 milliwatt FM transmitter is a threat to commercial FM. Right?
  
  Last year world wind power capacity was 60,000 megawatts. Wind powered 23% of Denmark. 4% in Germany. It works. Get over it.
- Hardcase, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@Twango:
  
  Hardly a straw man. The headline says that we can generate our own electricity for almost nothing. The poster above is pointing out that, at least in the US, the equivalent amount of electricity can be purchased for almost nothing as well, assuming that $250 is "almost nothing".
  
  The point of the summary was that this is electricity on the cheap. If that's so, then the break even point is a valid measure of "cheapness". In fact, the posts in the linked article suggest that the system may be capable of generating quite a bit more than 100W, so that break even point may come quite a bit sooner.
beckerist, on 10/12/2007, -13/+1In Soviet Russia, wind powers you!
- carve, on 10/12/2007, -5/+7Ah...yeah...getting your power from the wind was the idea. Try this one...
  
  In Soviet Russia, YOU power the wind!
- splammo, on 10/12/2007, -6/+14In Solviet Russia, this joke isn't funny anymore.
- freonchill, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1if you remember Red Alert (c&c game), in soviet russia, the tesla coil powers you!
- carve, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1@splammo: Hello!? This joke hasn't been funny since 1989!
nef919, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3There is also a big issue with being allowed to tie these types of things to the grid. The power company will put up as many obstacles as they can to allow you to do this. I have a friend that has been trying to get his solar/wind combo tied into the grid for years.
- Twango, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"The power company will put up as many obstacles as they can"
  
  So what else is new in America? Why in the hell would they want people to demonstrate that they are unneeded?
mypancakes, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Read Prometheus' comments in TFA: this thing (unfortunately) isn't going to be very useful anytime soon. Hopefully they'll fix that.
DiggedBy, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4i'll wait until mythbusters tests it
nickname225, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7I can't make the math work out. I pay about .10 per kilowatt/hour for electricity, and this thing generates 100 watts. So after it runs for 10 hours it has generated 1 kilowatt/hour. Ok – so the first kilowatt/hour cost me 250 (plus labor). To get this thing down to .10 per it needs to run for 25,000 hours. Almost 3 years. Without breaking. Any maintenance I do is extra cost, and I doubt looking at the photos that it has 3 years in it. That’s the problem; electricity is still too cheap in comparison.
- DogzOfWar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Exactly. You'd be much better off with energy efficient light bulbs. I just replaced 4 75-watt light bulbs with equivalent strength bulbs that only use 20 watts, at a cost of about $5 per bulb. So right there, I just saved about 200 watts at a cost of $20. And these bulbs can last about 8,000 hours.
  
  So while this project is certainly "cool", it's not at all economical. Especially considering that you're wasting more energy by reading about it on the internet than you'd save by actually implementing it :-)
peter303, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2My next door neighbor cant wait to see one othe these in my back yard!
CohibaVancouver, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0>That’s the problem; electricity is still too cheap in comparison.

I agree, but there's also the benefit of power in an emergency. Depending on where you live, there may be periods of time where you won't have the grid, but you will have wind. I suppose you cold buy a gas generator, but eventually they run out gas.
- LittlemanTAMU, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yeah, but you can only power two light bulbs with the 100W this device generates. You're better off just getting that gas generator and a large gas tank even at current gas prices.
hyaena, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I'm reading comments that are essentially saying that this is, economically, a poor replacement for grid power. Well, duh. I don't think the project designers intended this to be a 1:1 replacement for the grid. One would build these primarily for backup power (e.g., bank of batteries to store energy) or to power a very energy efficient cabin or whatnot.
- nickname225, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The headline of this story is - Generate your own energy for almost nothing. So comments that point out the cost is in excess of just buying power are exactly on point.
- LittlemanTAMU, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2But the article title is still inaccurate since it says "for next to nothing". I don't consider having to wait ~3 years (if you buy assembled) or ~1 year (for just the parts and you consider your time worthless (I don't)) just to recoup initial costs "next to nothing". It's neat that the plans are out for free, and if you don't care about cost, it's fairly green as long as your batteries can be recycled later. However, there are much more practical options to saving on your electrical bill.
- hyaena, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2touche, that went right over my head
b05q, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1headline ought to read 'generate almost no energy on your own.'
frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1You know, all this talk about the economics of this turbine set me off to look at my own electric bill. Now I live in a smallish apt, but i used 900 KW/hr in Dec of 05 (thats just the bill I grabbed), or roughly 1250 w/hour.

Aside from the obvious observation that I would need 12.5 unit running full tilt to meet my needs (50 if figuring peek loads with no interim storage, 150 accounting for variable wind speeds, up to infinity if theres no wind at all), The less obvious observation is that I'm using way to much energy (Note: Gas heat (it was Dec) and landlord pays hot water).

So whats burning up all the juice? So i go around and count. This is the always on stuff:

Little users:
12 power pucks, pulling anywhere from 17w to 150w, all the time.
3 Speaker set-ups, always on (2 5.1 and 1 2.0)
2 Cable boxes.
MIsc including the alarm clock various night lights and the little clock in the microwave.

Big users:
1 Refrigerator (always on, not much I can do about that)
3 PC's always on (600w, 550w and 500W) (2 Always on as one does VoIP and one is a media center)

Not always on.
2 TV's (LCD and Direct view)
3 PC Monitors (2 CRT, 1LCD)
1 Coffee pot (ok, always on in the morning)

Disregarding the big users, the little users, even if drawing only 10 w in standby on average, would account for approx. 200w/hr of electrical usage. Thats the equivilant of 2 of these turbines running full tilt, IF my landlord let me put two on the roof!

I think we would all be better off if someone came out with smart power pucks that sutdown completely when there's no draw (think they do? pick one up and see if it's warm). Because when you do the math it works out to $20 to $30 bucks a month to run the power pucks.

Just saying.... ...but I still think the turbines are cool, as I obviously have a gadget fetish ;-)
- frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3opps... forgot the xbox360... it comes with a small space heater they call a PSU!
- carve, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3What is a power puck?
nardologix, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2this isn't very practical. It does not produce enough to power a house or to reduce your energy bill in any significant amount.

At my work we have a 1.2megawatt wind turbine. Last year it had a capacity factor of 18% (meaning it only produced 18% of what it could have for that year). It cost a few million and should pay itself off in 30-40 years. (that is of course if it doesn't fall apart before then)

This wind mill would help only if the following conditions existed:

1- you were metered different rates based on peak loads (right now i'm billed a little more than 5cents a kilowatt-hour all the time so it's a no go for me)
2- you have a whole bunch of batteries with the ability to provide a few kilowatts for a few hours.
3- windmill is set up to charge the batteries at all times, and batteries are used to reduce demand of energy during peak hours.

this would cost you a lot of money and you would never make it back.
grumpyrain, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I am a little saddenned by these sorts of articles, because they convince people who do not understand the math that they are 'doing their part' to counter global warming. Don't get me wrong, it would make a quite interesting side project, but it is not going to make a dent on the average power use. You just do not get the return for your money and effort, so how much is 100W? About the amount of energy you save by switching just 3 incandescent bulbs to compact fluroescents.

Wind power can and should be used on the grid. That is where the turbines can be big enough and located in more ideal places.
- frankinla, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1yup... great little hobby projects or science experiments, but of little value otherwise. Think of it, you could probably put a thermal couple on the flue of your gas furnace/hot water heater and and generate a 100w on a regular basis.
  
  The idea is none the less enticing... getting 'something' for 'nothing' always draws a crowd, and the idea of getting rid of yet another bill in this nickle and dime world we live in has universal appeal. Windmills in particular have always drawn the drawn out the Don Quixote's of the world. But the impractical nature of the beast is a distraction from the real problem.
  
  Reducing dependence on foreign energy, combating pollution, the potential of global warming, not to mention cutting our own individual expenses, are all imperatives. But they will not effectively be addressed by a handful of backyard 100w wind turbines.
  
  For myself, I have saved far more then that simply by switching to compact fluorescent in all light fixtures (from 60-75w to 15-20w). I also got some power strips to put all my power pucks on a separate circuit so they can be switched off when not needed (Scanners, printers, speakers and monitors do not always have to be 'instantly' available).
  
  FWIW, an more energy efficient refrigerator would probably cost less than this turbine installed (don't forget the tower, inverters, inter-tie and power lines, or the labor involved) and have a much better ROI.
Plastic3D, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Isn't it possible to connect a generator to the outlet to effectively put electricity INTO the grid? Thus lowering your powerbill?

Hope that's not an idiotic question.
loxi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0http://www.design-sites.net
pekea, on 12/22/2007, -0/+0Merry Christmas

http://www.best-buy-deal.com/after-christmas-shopp ...
Login or register to add a comment

Create a new account or login to join in the conversation on Digg. You'll also be able to Digg stories to help promote things you like.

Generate your own energy for almost nothing

Login or register to add a comment