DIY wind generator for $150
Here’s one for all you Gabriola do-it-yourself types: How Kevin Harris built a wind generator in his back yard for $150.00. He wrote:
Lately I’ve been spending a great deal of time working on ways to generate my own electricity. It isn’t a necessity for me yet, but someday being electrically self-sufficient could really come in handy. My interest started a while back when I stumbled upon a how-to article on building wind generators from treadmill motors and PVC pipe. It sounded easy enough, so I decided to try and design my own. This particular design can be built for $100-$150 if you are thrifty and can regularly generate 50-250 watts (considerably cheaper than a solar panel of similar power output). Here’s how I built it [continue]
Fascinating.
When I was a kid, our next-door neighbour made all kinds of whirligigs: wooden birds that flapped in the wind, wooden squirrels that ran in circles every time a breeze hit them — lots of that kind of thing, plus many fan-like contraptions that looked and moved much like Kevin’s wind generator. Now I’m thinking that Old Mr Neighbour would have had a lot of fun making electricity out of his spinning artwork.
Hey, Gabriola Artworks, how about a show on art that produces electricity?
If any of you make wind generators on Gabriola, I’d love to hear about it.
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