A very light breeze

[Norm]

I recalled a person over on 'Picoturbine' making a Savonius vawt using a 'CD' to mount the blades...so as I was shopping I see this sign 'Free Take One' so everytime I started collecting 'FTO'-CD's. Some foam plastic cups, a pointed 1/4 inch wood dowel, 'super glue' and some of these CD's .....I ('got optimised' ??) like this:




 So I took it outside hardly a bit of wind just a light breeze that you can just barely feel on your face...not even enough to turn the little pinwheel(which gives me another idea for a wind speed thing).Well anyway this foam cup thing is turning about 30 rpm even in this light breeze.


   So I'm wondering ....what's the lightest wind anyone out there has ever had that makes some power, even if it takes a slight gust of wind to get it over the cogging. Curious and seriously...would like to hear your stories about success in light winds....as there are a few of us, is mostly all we've got. Jerry gave me an inkling of some sucess in light winds...anyone else? ( :>) Norm.

[Jon Miller]

about 3miles an hour from a very small about 12 inch prop

[Norm]

  Jon: A little more detail than that ...please your thoughts about where you think windspeed is a lost cause...is this 12 inch prop in use? is it hooked up to a generator...alternator. I was thinking this test of mine I probably had about a 3 mph breeze also, down on the ground, even 14 ft up on the peak of my shed  might have been about 6mph up there, which would produce 8 times the power. Must do some further test and research. I think it would have to be a very sensitive system to even orient itself into the direction of the wind at anything under 5mph. OK Jon....Your turn..some of your thoughts. Havin Fun in NE Ohio.  ( :>) Norm.

[whirlybird]

hey norm have you done any more with the cool vawt you were playing with i have a good site for one of them

the other day i took a bus trip down south to the ferry and the bus driver says over the intercom

Look to your right ladies and gents and you will see a very unusual device powered by wind and it never stops spining even when the big ones on the hill have quit

the big ones have 30mtr blades

was a savonius type and making power all the time

just got to love VAWT

regards Foot

 

[Norm]

  Yeah I like VAWTs especially the double helix ..you could put a fairly large one in your backyard and the neighbors wouldn't even realize how much power you were catching from the wind but try an equivalant HAWT and they would probably be calling the authorities pretty quick.

...You really should carry a nice little digital camera around...would sure like to see pictures. No VAWTs around here that I'm aware of only about 3 HAWTs around within in a 15 mile radius. Really love watching any kind of device spinning in the wind. Fun! ( :>) Norm.