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DIY 1000 watt wind turbine

by sspence on June 2, 2006

Table of Contents

DIY 1000 watt wind turbine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: DIY 1000 watt wind turbine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Build the magnet disks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 2: Build the coil disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 3: Build the bearing assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 4: Construct the blades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 5: Bolt it all together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/
 Author:sspence author's website
Professionally, I'm an IT Engineer (Executive Level) and Electronics Tech. Philosophically, I'm a Green Conservative, and probably would have been a hippie
in the 60's if I had been old enough. I live off grid, with Solar (PV), Wind, and veggie oil fueled diesel generator power.

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 (magnet) wire for 12 volts. Use 70 turns of single strand for 24 volts. # 3 phase diagram shown here shows 3 stator coils. each of those coils is actually 3 coils
in series. coils 1,4, and 7 are series together, 2,5, and 8 are series together, and 3,6, and 9 are series together.

more details, see the following page 15 for the series star, 1-y diagram.

http://www3.telus.net/faheydumas/Wind_Turbine/Forum/AXIAL_FLUX_HowItWorks.pdf

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.

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

Step 5: Bolt it all together

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Qui

Comments
50 comments Add Comment view all 1186 comments

tondar says: May 31, 2011. 6:41 AM REPLY

hello.thanks for your information.i need this to my university project.please send to me PDF file.thank you.....tondar_sch@yahoo.com

mman1506 says: Jun 2, 2011. 3:17 PM REPLY

And why can't you do it yourself

sspence says: Jun 2, 2011. 4:29 PM REPLY

You have to be a pro member to download the pdf, so we send it to those who are not.

Eric T says: Jun 2, 2011. 11:16 AM REPLY

Do you send the power down tower as AC then convert to DC? How close are your coils to the magnents? Does your PDF file have the Plans for the Steel
plates? If plastic was used to hold the magnents would that alow the lines of flux to get to the coils better? Please send the PDF to
taylor6320812@yahoo.com

sspence says: Jun 2, 2011. 4:19 PM REPLY

Yes, it's 3 phase ac down to the batteries, where the 3 phase rectifier converts it to dc. the coils are about 1/4" from the magnets. I do not have plans for
the steel plates, but they are just 12" rounds.. Plastic would not complete the lines of flux, needs to be ferrous. PDF of this instrucatble sent. More info
available at http://www.green-trust.org/products/

PresidentAnybody says: Apr 19, 2009. 1:14 AM REPLY

carbon fiber would probably be best type made as air foil, probably super expensive unless you knew how to do it yourself.

Swishercutter says: Jun 1, 2011. 6:32 PM REPLY

I have a friend who does (used to do?) fiberglass, carbon fiber and aluminum for custom aircraft cowlings and he claimed for most things fiberglass was
close enough and its easier to work with...just needs a framework for support, make it hollow.

tinker234 says: May 27, 2011. 8:45 AM REPLY

how many to power a 2 story 3000 square feet home

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/
 sspence says: May 27, 2011. 3:47 PM REPLY
How many kWh per month do you use? What are your average wind speeds?

tinker234 says: May 27, 2011. 5:03 PM REPLY

wel i live in florida and it has not alot of wind and i use on avregae 3000 watts

sspence says: May 27, 2011. 5:23 PM REPLY

3000 watt hours a month? That's only 3 kWh's. I use more than that a day. Maybe you meant 3000 kWh's? That's 3x the national average, and if
you don't get much wind, then there's no point in putting in a wind turbine. Go solar instead. even then, if you are using 3000 kWh's a month,
that's going to be very expensive.

tinker234 says: May 28, 2011. 12:40 PM REPLY

yaha i ment 3000kwhs sorry have 3 computers one has a horrible key board

kilofeenix says: Apr 20, 2011. 11:12 PM REPLY

Just wondering if a ceramic magnet would be able to produce electricity, im building a small small scale as a weekend project sort of thing, using 40ft of 22
gauge wire with 6 coils. i know that the neodymium magnets are much stronger but im not trying to power my house, so would ceramic magnets even work?

TexasNaturalBuilders says: May 27, 2011. 5:29 PM REPLY

at a drastically reduced power!!!!!! Neodymium are the absolute best for power generation!!

reoozeit says: Apr 25, 2011. 4:22 AM REPLY

kilofeenix-As long as it is a magnet, it can work. You just keep in mind that it is all about having as many magnetic flux lines passing through the adjacent
wire windings as possible. Stronger magnets are much better, and too weak (or few) flux lines could make it not give you anything useful. I say try it, you
may be fine. just maybe keep you expenses down and give yourself flexibility to change the magnets if needed. You can get REALLY GOOD and thin
magnets, by the way, from old computer hard drives. Very very strong and you can often get hard drives for free from "expired" hard drives that friends or
relatives are getting rid of. you can either move the magnets and have the windings stay stationary or vice versa. This instructable uses moving the
magnets while keeping the windings stationary and that helps getting the power out of it a bit simpler. As long as the weight of the rotor/blade assembly
doesn't interfere with getting it spinning well in the wind, this is a great idea.1 kw! WOW! nice job guys!

sspence says: Apr 21, 2011. 3:51 PM REPLY

yes, with greatly reduced power. couldn't tell you by how much.

kilofeenix says: Apr 20, 2011. 11:35 PM REPLY

Also would a full wave rectifier be better then a single diode or half wave rectifier?

sspence says: Apr 21, 2011. 3:50 PM REPLY

you need two diodes per phase, just like a car alternator. No more, no less.

tigplanet says: May 20, 2011. 2:02 AM REPLY

Great Post!
Anyone may learn the informative tips & ways on how to build solar panel, home wind turbine or DIY solar water heater at an extremely low cost for your
home
at http://www.greenplanet4energy.com/Earth4energy
Get it now. Don't miss it!

yummy69 says: May 20, 2011. 1:02 AM REPLY

hello, how are you all guys ?
Can i make thins thing with hard disk megnets because im unable to buy this shape and neodymium magnet. from my place. so i think hard disk magnets
are neodymium magnets and they can be use for this procedure ? Can it be ?
i have 200 pieces so i can use them together/

pandadude says: May 18, 2011. 1:38 PM REPLY

I feel bad for you. Sending emails to people every day the plans to something that you spent a lot of time making must be a lot of work. I do see that by
sending those plans you are helping the world just a little bit. Good job on your project actually following through and replying to those pleads for pdfs. (Oh
yah and your instructable is one of the most viewed on this site)

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/
 nivondu says: May 18, 2011. 12:18 PM REPLY
This is very interesting, could you send me a copy of teh PDF? ed.a.howard@gmail.com Thanks mate.

dcouzens says: May 14, 2011. 3:27 PM REPLY

hey was wondering if u guys could send me the pdf file im looking to start a simalar projet and doing sum reaserch thanks.

David
my email: couzensdavid@yahoo.com

jvermeulen says: May 12, 2011. 1:22 PM REPLY

This is awesome!!! Seriously!! I am so going to build this.
Can I Please get the PDF. jacques@jvbitsolutions.com
Are you working on a vertical wind turbine by some chance?

Thanx in advance.

spiritG says: May 11, 2011. 1:14 PM REPLY

Hi,

I'm trying to do a similar job by myself.

I'm really interested by your great job :)

Can you send me the pdf at guillaume@aistos.com ?

Ty from France !

rsuetens says: May 9, 2011. 7:38 AM REPLY

Hi,

nice project ! Want to start building one too one of these days, can you send me the pdf please ?

Appreciate it, again nice work !

Robin

robinsuetens@gmail.com

sspence says: May 9, 2011. 8:10 AM REPLY

PDF sent to all who asked. There's more available at http://www.green-trust.org/wordpress/2011/05/09/ebook-sale-up-to-75-off/

wkahapea says: May 11, 2011. 1:42 AM REPLY

May I please be bold and ask for as pdf to willkool@gmail.com? You have inspired me to build build build for my childrens future. I want to make this
windmill and grow to produce hydro powered after. TY for your instructable.

ssingh5 says: May 10, 2011. 1:12 PM REPLY

Awesome post. I would like to build one for my village home too... Please send me the PDF on sheshashank@gmail.com

ssingh5 says: May 10, 2011. 10:02 PM REPLY

Thank you soooooo much!!!! It's so nice of you!!!!

renato_ says: May 10, 2011. 4:24 AM REPLY

can you send me the pdf ? very good work email : renato_delgado@hotmail.com

Ramaloce says: May 9, 2011. 7:24 PM REPLY

Hello, I'm a university student living in an on-campus eco-friendly community and we're looking to construct a wind turbine. Could you send me the PDF for
your turbine at aentema@siue.edu? It would be much appreciated by me and my fellow residents. Thanks in advance!

nmv.peixe says: May 9, 2011. 9:08 AM REPLY

what about a video ? you`ll post it YOUTUBE. Can you send me the .pdf please ? nmv.peixe@uol.com.br Mr. Nelson Moreira Vieira. Many thanks.

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/
 sspence says: May 9, 2011. 10:15 AM REPLY
PDF is on it's way! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9EEHFKEckM

bvra?i? says: May 8, 2011. 5:03 AM REPLY

great project! God bless u. please, can u send me pdf on e-mail ? bvracic@gmail.com

Greatings from Croatia

sahilverma says: May 7, 2011. 11:25 AM REPLY

Hi !
I wanted to make this project -----> http://www.instructables.com/id/Portable-Solar-Powered-220V-Power-Supply/

But instead of the solar panels I would like to use a wind turbine.....so can you pls give me some specifications of the motor (which will act as the generator
in a wind turbine) that I should use to make the wind turbine
I need to charge 12 V batteries and then connect them to invertor and use as AC power outlet

Please tell me the :

Voltage of motor required :
Wattage or how many watts should the motor be able to produce : (example --> use a 50 Watt motor)

P.s ----> AWESOME INSTRUCTABLE

sspence says: May 7, 2011. 4:19 PM REPLY

We don't use a motor, we build our own alternator, as outlined in the instructable. It's a 12v, 80 amp alternator (about 1000 watts or so).

MP7 says: May 4, 2011. 7:07 AM REPLY

Great project! I'm planning on building my 1st one soon so your documentation here would be very helpful, thx for your work and sharing it.
Could I ask for the pdf as well? I hope you're not tired of us not pro members begging (mauro_poropat@hotmail.com)

Thx again and keep up the good work!

MP7 says: May 5, 2011. 1:41 AM REPLY

TY very much Steve.
Respect!

...and keep it green ;)

sspence says: May 5, 2011. 5:40 PM REPLY

My pleasure.

rodwellb says: May 3, 2011. 1:07 AM REPLY

this is a fantastic project. Thanks for sharing. May you please send me the PDF. my email is rodwelb@engineer.com

rgold1 says: Apr 28, 2011. 5:35 AM REPLY

Thank you very much for sharing this phantastic project,could you please send
me the PDF camo52@gmail.com
Thank's a lot!

Gmba says: Feb 24, 2011. 6:10 AM REPLY

I understand that the electricty generation discs are the same in most wind turbine i know of another method since using this one. Would there be a price for
using this method if used in a comercialy available turbine? Who would the cost be payable to, you who I have learnt this information off or is there an owner
of the generation discs?

reoozeit says: Apr 25, 2011. 5:02 AM REPLY

The author of this instructable gave you this info on how to make your own. That is what an instructable is. He gave that info to you freely and
generously, hoping it may help you do the same. If you use this info to make a lot of money using his idea you should probably thank him by paying him
for the knowledge he so kindly bestowed upon you. Just my opinion.

sspence says: Feb 24, 2011. 3:39 PM REPLY

This technology is open source, you are free to use it. However, donations are cheerfully accepted at http://www.green-trust.org

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-1000-watt-wind-turbine/
 aistech says: Feb 27, 2011. 9:51 AM REPLY
hello im new to wind power could i build a 3 phase generator like the ones all over the net rectifiy it to dc power then put it through an inverter to tie into my
house power to lower my usage

thanks

sspence says: Feb 27, 2011. 10:21 AM REPLY

Yes. You will need a battery bank, and a battery/grid tie inverter, like the Outback.

reoozeit says: Apr 25, 2011. 4:56 AM REPLY

I agree whole-heartedly about needing the grid tie inverter! PLEASE people- by all means generate some electricity for yourself. But PLEASE either
keep that power isolated from the rest of the power in your house , or get a grid tie inverter and be careful about all of your connections and use! In
case you did not notice, the author stated that their house is OFF-GRID! They have a stand-alone system charging batteries and powering loads all-
excusive of utility power. Remember that besides any bad things (Many are possible) that could happen if you do not connect harmoniously with your
utility power, if there is a power outage, you could KILL a worker who is trying to fix the problem! You MUST make sure your power does not go out
on those power lines!!! The inverters that are factory- made for tying your self- gen power into your panel (and the utility grid) are REQUIRED on loss
of utility power to disconnect your system from the grid for this very reason. They also make sure that the power all matches- the cycles are in-phase
with each other, frequency, etc. This keeps you alive and your house from being destroyed. Don't be afraid of generating your own power, be afraid
of what happens with mis-use of that power. It can be very destructive if you try to cut the wrong corners! Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking DC
power is safe because you have batteries in everything and it doesn't hurt you to change them. It is just as or more dangerous as AC when you are
generating it and/or using car batteries and the like!

gshawn says: Apr 24, 2011. 7:56 PM REPLY

Fantastic work. Can you please send me the .pdf? castleinspector@gmail.com Thanks in advance.

chesnabi says: Apr 22, 2011. 7:15 AM REPLY

hi, can you please send me the pdf. my email is chesnab@gmail.com. Thank you.

view all 1186 comments

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