DIY Wind Generator Competition
by Jacob Gordon, Nashville, TN 
on 04.17.06
Even if big wind turbines aren’t bird blenders after all, there is still the scandalous fact that, as we speak, untold numbers of gnats, hornets and innocent honeybees are being chopped to bits in the blades of tiny wind generator. Okay, joking. Of course we love micro power generators and their endless applications. Small wind generators are fun and accessible ways of making power and they provide tons of opportunities for the do-it-yourselfer to get hands on. For those of you feeling up for a challenge, gotwind.org has posed a design conundrum to make your head spin: design a complete wind generator for under $175 (£100). Your design (you aren’t required to actually build it) has to employ “readily available components” and produce a minimum of 20 watts at 12 volts. Win, and you get to make the world a better place, get famous, and win a sweet new flashlight. Lose, and we feed you to the turbines.
The clever brain behind gotwind.org, Ben Jandrell, came in as a runner-up in our very own DIY Eco-tech contest with his solar FM cordless headphones. His true love seems to be wind power, however, and gotwind.org is a mini trove of info on small wind power for the DIY-er. Small wind generators are proving their value in diverse applications from homes to hilltops to Kyoto taxi cabs. Jandrell’s DIY challenge takes this powerful little technology and asks just how affordable it can be. Many of the units found on gotwind.org are made with adapted or salvaged parts, many of them from bicycles (bikes and wind generators have a lot of tech-genetics in common). Setting such a low cost limit is reminiscent of inventions that came out of Gaviotas, an intentional community in the grassy plains of Colombia, where maverick engineers built wind powered water pumps for peasants by borrowing designs from NASA spacecraft blueprints. Do-it-yourself technologies are also gaining significance and impact with the advent of tech-sharing networks like Squidoo, Instructables, and Make.
The DIY Wind Generator Challenge is accepting submissions from April to October 2006 and it’s free to submit. Entries are already coming in and we’d love to see some TreeHuggers up in the mix. :: gotwind.org
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Cool stuff. Submitted to Digg.
I don't have the technical prowess to do this, but I have thought for a while now that retrofitting those spinny vents on the roof of my house would be an unobtrusive and logical way to produce energy. Maybe some treehugging engineer could take my idea and run with it--you have my permission. =)
Brandon,
I think those vent spinners are a tad too small to generate much torque (power), but, one about as big as an oil drum, now that might be the ticket! Line up a half dozen of those in the middle of a Chicago-style flat roof house, and no one would even be able to see it from the street.
http://www.towerkill.com/
I suggest you get in touch with Bill Evans at towerkill.com he is an ornitholgist that specializes int tower kill of birds his site is specific to transmition towers. However as an avid environmentalist Im sure he has an opinion on Wind turbines and their effects on songbirds as well.
Remeber when its wild it is better if it is big wide and uncut. when you want it wild size matters. turn off your lights.
Check this one out:
http://www.siliconchip.com.au/cms/A_103664/article.html
Have friends that have put this one together for as little as AU$20 and with enough wind they can supposedly get 300W out of it.
Great stuff, I hope it goes somewhere!
Yeah, its great. I think I'll give it a go :)
Oh, this is really interesting. I have some works regarding data analysis on wind turbine result. Designing a small wind turbine would definitely be a real challenging project.
With regards to posts above, wind turbine don't kill birds as much as birds died, due to crashing into window panes.
Great response to my competition already.
I'm very pleased, all entries so far are excellent and can be viewed below.
http://www.gotwind.org/Entrants.htm
What is the judging criteria. Watt's? cost? Easyness?
Wind turbine system is a ideal power supply for seperate house,island,obervatory,sentry,signaltransformation,communities and other places with good wind resource.
TAIRU WINDPOWER CO. is the leading manufacturer of small wind turbines in China.
we are commited to wind power an eco friendly industry,wind turbines produce no pollution that would have been generated by power station.
we offer only the highest quality equipment at the most competitive prices possible.if you are unsure of your needs,we will examine your energy usage determine what arrangement represents the best return to you,your family or your business.
Jacky Wu
TAIRUI WINDPOWER CO.
jacky@nb-tairui.com
www.nb-tairui.com
I have found a way of getting major electric power from trees out siide my house..........
I want to make as much money as the Wright brothers wanted to.......
Ha Ha !!! No $$$. Just get it out!!
Call me 17054 977-1639
My name is Mr Ronephon,From THE2ndWIND ENERGY ASIA 2008(CWEE).
Kindly if you can tell me have you received our show information?
Kindly if you can tell us is your company have plan to participate our show?
THE2nd WIND ENERGY ASIA 2008(CWEE)
Show time: April 25th-27th,2008
Show Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre
Sponsors:
Wind Power Machinery Branch of China Association of Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers
Shanghai Science & Technology Development And Exchange Center
Approvers:
The Ministry of Science and Technology of P. R. China
Shanghai Foreign Economic Relation & Trade Commission
Supporters:
National Wind Power Generating Technology Research Center
Indian Wind Energy Association(InWEA)
Chinese Renewable Energy Society (CRES)
Chinese Wind Energy Association (CWEA)
Austrian Wind Energy Association
Supporters:
Exhibits:
Wind Turbines
10 - 50 kW
50 - 500 kW
500 - 5000 kW
Accessory Equipment & Technologies
Brakes
Cable
Cable conduits
Computer-controlled MSR technology
Control technology
Controlling
Corrosion protection
Crane infrastructure
Electrotechnical components
Elevators systems
Foundations (also offshore)
Gearbox oils
Gears, bearings
Generators
Inspector
Interface stations
Island systems
Lubricants
Measurement technology
Output electronics
Rotor blades
Security systems
Software
Towers
Transformers
Visualization
Warning signals
Wind and water pumps
Wind measurement devices
Wind-diesel systems
Services & Consultants
Associations and federations
Banks
Certification company
Consulting
Financial services (also export)
Green-power suppliers
Grid connection, transformers
Grid operators
Installation
Insurance companies
Owner's associations
Planning
Power - suppliers
Publications
Publishers
Research and training
Service and maintenance
If you want to learn more informamtion about our show please feel free to contact with me.
Looking forward to hearing from your early reply
Best wishes
Mr Ronephon
Tel:+86-013611955195
All of this stuff looks and sounds great!
I am wondering if any of you can build or have heard of a commercially produced wind generator that looks like an old fashioned wind mill.
Let me know!
Thanks
hey cindi i have just posted a topic on the forum about that. i have a an old windmill myself and im wondering if i can convert it ito a wind turbine
The multi-blade wind turbines have great solidity factor which is not good ofr electricity generation.
Wind turbine is the next scintific-reseach challenges - time will tell that it will answer the question; what shall we do about global worming.
Manufacturer of worm gear boxes, helical gear boxes, right angle gear boxes, gear reduction boxes, industrial gearboxes, worm wheel and worm shaft, worm gear, spur, helical and bevel gear, racks and pinion, other mechanical engineering power transmission equipment.
Renewable wind energy is a hot topic because it has so many advantages. With some simple tools you have laying around and a few wind generator parts, building your own wind turbine is a breeze.