Starter wind power setup?

[frog]

I am a true newbie, and I am very interested in setting up a simple wind generator but I'm not at all sure where to start.  I would like to have a small windmill, mounted somewhere easily accessible, and connected to a basic battery, from which I could power a fridge or lights.  I live in an urban/suburban setting.  My undergraduate degree was in physics, so I understand the basics of electricity.  I've found some interesting commercial windmills for sailboats that seem like they would work well, but they're a little pricey.  I welcome any direction you could give me in terms of how to get started.  Thank you in advance!

[JW]

I Approved this user, Welcome

Your going to encounter just about as many types of wind turbine. Some examples would be dual rotor permanent magnet, the motor conversion using magnets. The next thing your going to be asked many questions, how much power do you need, battery bank, wind in your area etc

[Bruce S]

Frog;
Could you give us some info on your site? Got big trees, an antenna tower? know what wind speeds around your location is?

There are some very basic, starter windmills you can cobble together that could be had for nearly nothing.
Old printer motors, that have a DC rating. Old school bus , fans are also DC powered.

IF you're into DIY, there are months worth of great reading here. Pop the word HWAT or VAWT into the search hit enter and enjoy  .

Welcome aboard

Bruce S

[frog]

JW, thanks for approving me!  Ideally, I would be able to generate an average of 5 kWh/day, but I'd be happy with a 500 Wh/day for a start.

Bruce, thanks for the questions.  There are big trees around, but no antenna tower.  My property is only a quarter of an acre, so I'm thinking something small - no tower, just something that sits on its own pole or on my roof.  I don't know how to answer about wind speeds intelligently.  The weather stations nearby register occasional winds in the 15-25 mph range, but consistent wind speeds are generally lower.  It does seem like it's windy most of the time, but typically at lower speeds.

I'm not the classic DIY'er so, realistically, I was hoping to find some commercial products to experiment with, at least for the major components.  Or is there just not a market for this type of thing so DIY is the best/only way to go?  Are there relatively inexpensive, small windmills available for purchase?

In the meantime, I'll try those search terms and do some background reading.  Thank you again!

[Bruce S]

Frog;
Unfortunately, sadly there are no small windmills on the market I would point you to.
There are some out there, but as you've seen , there are units for the marine vessels. There are some being sold and advertised, but for the most part they are not something I would use. IF you come across one think might be useful, let us know. We can always have a look and help you with the decision.
One I would certainly NOT sink money into are the ones showing the 5+ bladed types, while they have a nice look to them, the ratings (if published) are what you want to look out for. Check Max output at specific windspeed. IF not published, ask.

Bruce S

[SparWeb]

Hi Frog,
Welcome to Fieldlines!

You could have some fun with a cheap little wind turbine, but the price of entry (for a bad one) is at least 500 bucks.  You'd never get the money back in savings or usefulness.  If anything goes wrong, you won't be able to do much and run the risk of being frustrated.  There is some satisfaction to be had from setting it up, having it run sometimes, maybe get the neighbours talking.  That may be enough, so I don't mean to be discouraging.  You might like that fine, and if you do, you're welcome to share the experience here, too, BTW.

The trick with a DIY project, especially if you keep it simple, is that you don't spend nearly as much, and once it's set up, you can adjust things until it works.  The process of setting it up is fun, adjusting and tuning it to your liking is fun, too.  If something goes wrong with a DIY project, you know how it works since you built it, so you can fix it, too.  I really enjoy tuning my machine, and collecting data from the performance to see where I can improve.  I'm getting close to convincing myself that my turbine could use larger diameter blades.  Yay! I get to carve a new set! 

[frog]

Bruce and Spar,

Thanks for the helpful responses!  You have convinced me to go the DIY route.  It'll be fun to tinker!  Are there already threads on this site for how to get started?  Any basic books on this topic to start with?  I'll try to do my own searches on this site but, for a newbie's eyes, it is all quite overwhelming.  I assume that I should make the windmill itself first and then worry about batteries, etc.  To narrow my searches/reading, what first steps do you think are appropriate?

Also, I'm in Portland, Oregon.  If there are any experienced folks in the area who are willing to mentor me, I'd be happy to buy you coffees or beers in exchange for guidance.

Thanks again for all the help!

Frog

[Mary B]

F&P motors are a good starter wind project. Can generate up to 500+ watts, this site has the parts needed to assemble most of one... http://www.randysworkshop.net/unusual.html add your own blade mount and hub to adapt to the F&P shaft, some decent blades can be found on ebay...

[SparWeb]

Here are a few links to help get you started:
Hugh Piggot had a lot to do with getting the hobby going, decades ago.  He still publishes plans to his kits.  http://www.scoraigwind.com/axialplans/index.htm
Alton Moore published a website long ago, with useful info and calculators, and it hasn't changed since:  http://www.scoraigwind.com/axialplans/index.htm
The Otherpower (the original sponsors of this site) have kits and plans and this handy primer:  https://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind_tips.html

I think the Fieldlines FAQ section will help you, too.

Follow a few links from each of those and you will have so much reading I guess we won't hear from you again for a week!

[kitestrings]

Welcome to the forum.  I wouldn't discourage you from building something, you'll have way more fun that way and probably learn something while you're at it 

Regarding commercial units:

sadly there are no small windmills on the market I would point you to.

I think if you could pick up a used Bergey, the small one, they are pretty dependable.  I think they were originally called the "1.2" (~8' dia, about 1 kW), but are now called "Excel 1's".  They are about $5k new with an Midnite controller.

You mentioned that you are in Oregon.  There was a machine made there by a Richard Prius (not sure of the spelling), under the name Abundant Renewable Energy or ARE.  This turbine was based on a Hugh Piggott design, originally built in S. Africa called African Wind Power (the 3.6 IIRC).  If you could get one of these for the right price it might be an option.  ARE's are in the same size range as the smaller Bergey.

The Marlec Rutland is a pretty reliable little one, made for sailing.  Good luck ~ks