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DIY 1000 watt wind turbine

by sspence on June 2, 2006 Table of Contents License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intro: DIY 1000 watt wind turbine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 1: Build the magnet disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 2: Build the coil disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 3: Build the bearing assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 4: construct the blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . step 5: Bolt it all together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 2 2 3 4 4 5 5 5 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

License: Attribution Non-commercial Share Alike (by-nc-sa) Intro: DIY 1000 watt wind turbine
We built a 1000 watt wind turbine to help charge the battery bank that powers our offgrid home. It's a permanent magnet alternator, generating 3 phase ac, rectified to dc, and fed to a charge controller. The magnets spin with the wind, the coils are fixed, so no brushes or slip rings necessary.

step 1: Build the magnet disks

We had 12" steel disks hydro cut. We cut a template for mounting the magnets. Then we mounted 12 grade n50 magnets around the outside edge. We then built a form, and poured the resin with hardner.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

step 2: Build the coil disk

We wound the nine individual coils, soldered them in a 3 phase wye configuration, and encased them in resin. We used 35 turns of 2 parallel strands of 14 gauge enameled wire for 12 volts. Use 70 turns of single strand for 24 volts.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

step 3: Build the bearing assembly

Two Harley Davidson wheel bearings are inserted into the pipe, with a smaller pipe locked between them to keep them in place.

step 4: construct the blades

The blades are 2" x 6" pine, cut at 10 degrees on a table saw, and sanded into a rough airfoil. Not perfect, but close enough. More can be found at http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/axialflux/ http://www.green-trust.org http://youtube.com/watch?v=o9EEHFKEckM

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

step 5: Bolt it all together

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Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 892 comments

Bob174 says:

Jul 9, 2009. 10:07 AM REPLY I could not find any discussion on connecting the coils for 3 phase power output, and for connecting the rectifying diodes (how many are needed?). I could not find any information on actual performance (watts at say 10 mph wind speed,

sspence says:

Jul 9, 2009. 6:50 PM REPLY there are 9 coils, 3 phases of 3 in series. every third coil is connected in series. the diode bridge is a 3 phase bridge, just like a car alternator. read hugh piggots book, or dan fink's.

zihanjj says:

Mar 5, 2010. 3:04 AM REPLY will it be simple to use a Car Alternator, but ofcourse an additional power should goto the Field coils of the Alternator, but it reduce the weight of the Generator and give's you more control. Also a cut-off if the wind speed is way too high.

sspence says:

Mar 5, 2010. 3:06 PM REPLY Car alternators make lousy wind turbines and are not, and should not be used. Not just the field coil issue, like you mentioned, but also rpm range is all wrong.

Elwood_Blues says:
how difficult would it be to make this turbine Grid-tie capable? It does produce AC current correct?

Jan 8, 2010. 8:56 PM REPLY

sspence says:
It produces wild ac, not applicable to grid tie.

Mar 4, 2010. 3:01 PM REPLY

martin.rayner3 says:
if i fixed the magnets to ply wolw this still work and how much wire did you use thanks martin

Mar 2, 2010. 1:07 PM REPLY

sspence says:

Mar 2, 2010. 2:51 PM REPLY no, that won't work. has to be steel/iron. wire use depends on voltage of machine, as a 12v machine uses 35 turns per coil (9 coils), a 24v machine uses 72, and a 48 v uses 144, however the gauge of the wire keeps getting lighter as the voltage goes up.

martin.rayner3 says:
thanks for the help martin

Mar 2, 2010. 4:34 PM REPLY

VoltsAndBolts says:
I have a discussion forum for topics like this. If youre interested in Sustainable Energy stop by. Nice WindGen by the way!

Feb 22, 2010. 10:01 AM REPLY http://www.voltsandboltsonline.com/

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

sspence says:
So do we, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/axialflux/

Feb 22, 2010. 10:09 AM REPLY

dianarachel says:

Feb 16, 2010. 1:28 PM REPLY I am really interested with alternative energy and am trying to build a wind turbine for my science fair project. I was wondering why you chose to use magnets and how well your design suited your enegery needs. diana

sspence says:

Feb 16, 2010. 3:01 PM REPLY There are two ways of creating an alternator. With permanent magnets, or with electromagnets. Electromagnets steal power when it's least available, hence permanent magnets. This design is ideal for off grid use.

dianarachel says:
thank you so much

Feb 17, 2010. 7:06 PM REPLY

grimgroper says:
what direction the north and south poles are facing on your magnets?

Feb 8, 2010. 7:05 PM REPLY

sspence says:
up and down. the poles are the flat faces.

Feb 10, 2010. 3:12 PM REPLY

grimgroper says:
ahh yeh i see, do you have one opposite the other and the coil passes through the middle, very clever

Feb 10, 2010. 9:51 PM REPLY

captain jack sparrow says:

Dec 1, 2009. 12:41 PM REPLY hi there, i plan on running your stator design off a bedini motor running at a few thousand rpm instead of wind power, any tips much appriciated any idea of possible power output?

ufuk_19 says:

Feb 9, 2010. 1:37 PM REPLY I want to know if I want to produce ac how changes will be done? If you send information to my e-mail I would be happy.(akoguz.ufuk@gmail.com)

sspence says:
I doubt the bedini motor will be able to turn the AF with a load attached.

Dec 1, 2009. 2:16 PM REPLY

jbooth says:
Can I use stereo speaker magnets to build a dc generator? jbooth

Feb 8, 2010. 6:43 AM REPLY

xpanda says:

Feb 4, 2010. 9:50 PM REPLY Hi, we live out on a farm in South Africa and my sons would like to build such a turbine as part of a school project. Will you be so kind as the forward us your email address as we would like to pose some questions and ask some advice. Regards Peter & Rotann (rpcolyn@telkomsa.net)

sspence says:
sspence@green-trust.org

Feb 6, 2010. 5:37 AM REPLY

timbaker172 says:
Hi, love the turbine. I'm working on one myself using a stepper motor.

Feb 4, 2010. 7:53 AM REPLY

I've considered building a smaller one like the one you've done as a separate. project. I do have a question though. What if I want to charge a small 6V battery instead of 12? If 35 turns of coil wire, 2 strands in parallel gets you 12 volts, then would 17-18 turns with 4 strands get you 6 volts?

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

kessler1492 says:

Oct 2, 2009. 4:57 PM REPLY I am serious about building one of these, how long has this model been in operation (how is it holding up), and what kind of regular maintenance is required. how many batteries would it charge, I'm assuming it would need a 2000 watt inverter (just to be safe). and could I build my own control box?

sspence says:

Oct 2, 2009. 5:40 PM REPLY It doesn't need an inverter at all. for a control, I'd suggest a diversion controller like the xantex c60, or the outback fm-60 or 80 in diversion mode. we have had these in the air for several years. yearly greasing and blade painting is all that is necessary.

kessler1492 says:

Oct 3, 2009. 5:42 PM REPLY from what I understand, first you have the wind turbine that is hooked to control then it goes to charge the batteries, then don't you need an inverter before I hooked it into the power system of my house, to change it to AC? My other question you did not answer is how many batteries will it charge? Also my power consumption is around 550 KW per month would one wind tubine and solar panels be enough to power it?What model of harley davison wheel bearings is it? I am planning on getting marine batteries, for powering a house unless you would suggest 24 volt batteries, sorry you are one of the few that has experience powering a house so I plan on picking your brain!

sspence says:

Oct 3, 2009. 6:19 PM REPLY the turbine is connected to the batteries. the diversion controller connects a heavy load when the batteries get full, preventing over charge. the job of an inverter is to convert battery power (low voltage dc) to house current (high voltage ac). the inverter has nothing to do with the wind turbine. I told you how many batteries I have. how many it will charge is determined by how much wind you have, and how much power you remove from the batteries (number of batteries is immaterial, it's capacity removed that needs to be replaced). there's no set formula of wind turbine size to battery size. I suggest 6v batteries (trojan t-105 or L16), as deep cycle batteries do not come in 24v typically. Marine batteries are a starting hybrid, not appropriate for off grid use.

kessler1492 says:

Oct 4, 2009. 4:41 PM REPLY so what is my first step, finding out how much wind I have? How can I find that out? And how do I figure out capacity?

prodigiouspenguin says:

Jan 30, 2010. 9:16 PM REPLY 3tier runs a free service that can give you a yearly average at specific heights: http://www.3tier.com/firstlook/ AWS also runs a similar service: http://navigator.awstruewind.com/ Take note of the hub height; you'll need to adjust this for yourself as you're not going to be building an 80m tower for your turbine. The appropriate formulas for performing the calculations to adjust for the height of your turbine may be found here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_gradient#Wind_turbines Or if you prefer a less hands-on method, I did some work last summer for a small company that sells turbines and wrote some PHP calculators to perform the functions. If you want to *only* find your wind speed, this works fine: http://hummerwindturbine.com/my-roi/myaverage-wind-speed although going through another page may yield you more interesting results: http://hummerwindturbine.com/my-roi/estimate-my-roi The "ROI calculator" allows you to input your own wind speed/hub height and adjusts it for common heights of turbine towers. You can also modify the shear coefficient; called "Terrain Type" in the advanced options. You'll have to put in an email address to get the results of the calculation, but the form will accept something like a@a.a if you really don't care to get emailed.

sspence says:

Oct 4, 2009. 5:14 PM REPLY Ask your local airport or weather station for average winds. Or put up a anemometer for a few months. capacity is a function of blade length and coil design. The unit we show here has the potential for 1000 watts, but in common wind speeds of 10-20 mph might produce 100 to 400 watts. Use our wind calculator at http://www.green-trust.org/windpowercalc/

conntaxman says:
The Newest turbine out.Sounds pretty good for the price,seems easy to install,light weight,and must be quiet. here is the link. http://www.jetsongreen.com/2009/06/honeywell-wind-turbine-wt6000-earthtronics.html Whats everyone's idea of it?

Jan 29, 2010. 4:25 PM REPLY

sspence says:
The specs are imaginistic at best.

Jan 29, 2010. 5:11 PM REPLY

hellow123 says:
how much wire did you use?

Jan 13, 2010. 2:58 PM REPLY

sspence says:

Jan 13, 2010. 7:03 PM REPLY A bunch. 72 turns per coil for the 24v machine. 35 turns of double strand for the 12v machine, so really, it's the same amount of wire.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/

hellow123 says:
how many pounds of wire did you use on this turbine?

Jan 17, 2010. 6:37 PM REPLY

sspence says:
I didn't weigh it. If I take the turbine apart, I'll weigh the stator.

Jan 17, 2010. 7:07 PM REPLY

TaylorTech says:
When you say enameled wire, do you mean magnet wire, or just coated copper? Also, where can I buy some at that gauge? Can I coat my own, or use insulated wire?

Jan 10, 2010. 8:25 PM REPLY

sspence says:

Jan 11, 2010. 8:58 AM REPLY enameled wire and magnet wire is the same thing. The stuff they use for motors and transformers. You can get it at http://www.forcefield.com

TaylorTech says:

Jan 11, 2010. 12:49 PM REPLY Are you sure? Wikipedia says Magnet Wire is a type of enamelled wire. Also, I'd love to see that store, but the link is broken.

sspence says:

Jan 11, 2010. 8:58 PM REPLY magnet wire is enameled wire. you can get it at a motor or alternator rewind shop. try http://www.wondermagnet.com

TaylorTech says:
Hehe, that store is out of stock.

Jan 13, 2010. 5:34 PM REPLY

Elwood_Blues says:
oops--found the answer to my own question in one of the other steps.

Jan 8, 2010. 9:11 PM REPLY

emlandry says:

Dec 27, 2009. 7:01 PM REPLY sspence, have you ever tried your design using a vertical axis wind turbine, and would it be possible to stack a few of the coil and magnet packages and parallel them in a vertical design to increase the KW output?

mahesh.ganpate says:
hi im made for 1000watt wind turbine pls send genereter made deatails

Dec 25, 2009. 7:03 AM REPLY

Mrenglish says:
Hi SSpense,

Dec 24, 2009. 2:25 PM REPLY

I've had problems downloading the .PDF instruction manual. It always seems to be corruped when I finish downloading it. Is there another location I can get it from?

sspence says:
Send me an email at sspence@green-trust.org and I'll see what I can do.

Dec 24, 2009. 6:37 PM REPLY

namy_20pk says:
hi there,may i now the size and wate of copper coiles?

Dec 13, 2009. 2:19 AM REPLY

sspence says:

Dec 13, 2009. 11:49 AM REPLY Depends on the watts (volts and amps) you are designing for. For a 12v, 1000w machine, I'd recommend 35 turns of dual strand 14g. You will need 9 such coils.

namy_20pk says:

Dec 16, 2009. 1:15 AM REPLY thanx dear you tell me the wate of coils, but you now if the coil size will bigger then wate will extended,so i want to know thet the specific size of each coil.i apreciate your project I SLUTE YOU! from pakistan

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http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/