How to Build a Small Scale Wind Turbine From Scrap Materials

Introduction

Building a small scale wind turbine from scrap materials can be a fun and educational project. Wind turbines harness the power of the wind to generate electricity. While commercial wind turbines can be quite large and expensive, small scale wind turbines can be built on a budget using recycled materials. With some basic skills and creativity, you can build your own fully functional wind turbine at home.

In this comprehensive guide, I will walk you through the entire process of building a small wind turbine from scratch using scrap materials. I will cover topics such as:

• The benefits of building a small scale wind turbine
• Sourcing scrap materials
• Design considerations and basic components
• Constructing the blades, tower, and housing
• Setting up the electrical system
• Installation and placement tips
• Maintenance and troubleshooting

By the end of this guide, you will have the knowledge to build your own scrap material wind turbine from start to finish. The skills you gain will also allow you to experiment with designing improvements and enhancing efficiency. So let's get started!

Benefits of Building a Small Scale Wind Turbine

Here are some of the main benefits of taking on this scrap material wind turbine project:

• Sustainability - By repurposing scrap material that would otherwise go to waste, you are taking a sustainable approach to generating your own electricity. This helps reduce landfill waste.

• Cost savings - Sourcing scrap materials means you will only have to pay for the essential electrical components. This results in large cost savings compared to buying a commercial turbine.

• Education - Building your own wind turbine from scratch allows you to learn about renewable energy, electricity generation, and engineering principles. This hands-on experience boosts your knowledge and skillset.

• Customization - Using scrap materials allows you to get creative and build a customized wind turbine design to your preferences. You can experiment with blade shapes, sizes, colors and more.

• Energy independence - While one small turbine will not make you completely "off grid", it can offset some of your energy use and make you less reliant on fossil fuel generated electricity.

• Project satisfaction - Finally, you will gain a strong sense of achievement from designing and building your own functioning wind turbine with recycled materials.

Sourcing Scrap Materials

The first step in this project is gathering the various scrap materials you will need. Many components can be sourced for free or cheaply from junkyards, scrap yards, used goods stores and your own trash. Here are some of the materials to look out for:

Blades

• Wood boards - Old wooden furniture, floorboards, panels etc can be repurposed into blades. Avoid wood that is warped, rotten or cracked.

• Plastic barrels - The curved sides of clean plastic buckets and barrels can be used as blade shapes. Ensure they are not cracked.

• Sheet metal - Galvanized sheet metal in good condition can form blades. Look for pieces without major rust or defects.

Tower

• Metal pipes - Various diameters of old steel pipes are great for the tower frame. They should be straight and sturdy.

• Conduit tubing - Electrical conduit pipes make excellent small turbine towers. Check them for bends and damage.

Generator

• Old alternator - A car alternator that puts out AC current can be modified into a turbine generator. Test it spins freely.

• Ceiling fan motor - Many direct drive turbines use recycled ceiling fan motors as generators.

Housing

• Steel drums - Clean 55 gallon steel drums can be cut and modified into a nacelle housing. Avoid severe dents or rust.

• Satellite dishes - Old satellite TV dishes provide ready-made curved nacelle covers. Look for intact designs without cracks.

• Metal wash tubs - Vintage style metal wash basins can form a simple open front nacelle. Avoid severe corrosion.

Miscellaneous

• Bicycle parts - Old bike chains, spokes, sprockets and wheels come in handy for various wind turbine elements.

• Electrical wire - Good condition copper wiring salvaged from electronics can be used to build generator coils.

• Scrap metal - Various leftover metal bits like brackets, bolts, and rods can fill many building needs.

• PVC piping - Old PVC plumbing off-cuts work well for wind turbine housings. Avoid anything cracked.

With some effort and searching, you should be able to source these scrap materials for low cost. Now let's look at wind turbine design considerations.

Design Considerations and Basic Components

When building your scrap material wind turbine, there are some important design factors and components to consider:

Rotor Design

The rotor includes the blades and central hub assembly. Key factors include:

• Blade number - Most small turbines have 2 or 3 blades. More blades capture more wind power, but also create more drag.

• Blade shape - The blade shape affects efficiency. Curved designs like airfoils maximize lift and minimize drag.

• Blade pitch - The blade pitch or angle relative to the wind direction impacts performance. Adjustable pitch gives optimal angle.

• Rotor diameter - The size of the rotor swept area determines power generation capacity. But large rotors need stronger materials.

• Rotor orientation - Most DIY turbines use a horizontal axis rotor parallel to the ground. But vertical axis turbines are simpler to build.

Generator

This converts the rotational energy into electrical energy. Key factors include:

• Output power - The generator size and magnets affect its power output. Larger capacity requires more input rotation.

• Voltage - Common voltages are 12V, 24V or 48V. Higher voltage means lower amps for the same wattage.

• Direct drive vs gearbox - Gearboxes allow high speed generators. Direct drive is simpler but needs large slow generators.

Tower Height

• Increasing tower height increases wind speed and power production. But taller towers require stronger materials.

• As a rule of thumb, minimum height should be 20 feet for any power generation. Ideal height is 30-50 feet.

Batteries and Inverter

• Batteries store the generated electricity for later use. Deep cycle lead-acid batteries are commonly used.

• An inverter converts the turbine DC output into 120V or 220V AC electricity to run household appliances and lights.

Now let's look at how to build the various components.

Constructing the Rotor Blades

The blades are the most important part of the turbine as they capture the wind energy. Here are some tips for constructing rotor blades from various scrap materials:

Wooden Blades

• Use thin plywood or salvaged wood boards to shape your blades. Avoid warped wood.
• Cut blades into long triangular shapes. An airfoil curve works best.
• Seal and varnish wood to protect from moisture and wear.
• Attach blades to rotor hub using bolts, metal brackets or recycled pulley wheels.

Plastic Bucket Blades

• Mark and cut 3 blades out of the curved side of a cleaned plastic bucket.
• Round the edges and tips so they have an airfoil shape.
• Drill holes in the cut-outs to attach to the turbine hub.
• For better strength, fiberglass resin can be used to coat the plastic blades.

Sheet Metal Blades

• Cut your blades to shape out of galvanized sheet steel no thicker than 0.5mm.
• Hammer carefully to imprint a curved airfoil shape.
• Paint metal blades to prevent rusting. Be sure to balance the blades.
• Attach to the hub using pop-rivets, brackets or wire.

The key is shaping any material you use into an aerodynamic curved blade profile for optimum efficiency. Now let's construct the tower and housing.

Building the Tower, Housing and Hub

The tower holds your turbine up high to catch stronger winds. The housing protects internal components from the elements.

Tower

• Assemble tower sections from electrical conduit or metal pipes. Weld or bolt joints.
• Paint tower for corrosion protection. Guy wires help secure taller towers.
• Attach square flange plates at top and bottom to mount turbine and anchor in concrete.

Housing

• Cut the top off a cleaned 55 gallon steel drum and mount on tower flange.
• Alternatively, form housing by welding scrap sheet metal into a box frame.
• For simple open designs, a large metal wash tub works well as the nacelle.

Hub

• Use an old bicycle wheel as the central rotor hub. Weld blades onto spokes at correct pitch.
• Alternatively, build hub from wood disk, steel plate or PVC pipe off-cuts.
• Attach finished hub assembly onto rotating shaft.

Now that the mechanical components are done, we can move on to the electrical systems.

Setting Up the Electrical System

Electrical components are needed to generate, store and run power from the wind turbine. Here's how to set it up:

Generator

• Rewind the coils on a salvaged car alternator or ceiling fan motor. More windings allow lower rpm.
• Connect to rotor shaft. Set clearance between magnets and coils.
• Rectify AC output to DC using diodes.

Batteries

• Wire several 12V or 6V deep cycle lead-acid batteries together in series or parallel to store electricity.
• Use large capacity batteries for more storage. Place in weatherproof enclosure.

Inverter

• Connect inverter to battery bank to convert turbine DC into 120V AC current for household use.
• Match inverter wattage to turbine output. Consider pure vs modified sine wave inverters.

Wiring

• Use copper scrap wire to connect turbine to batteries through blocking diodes.
• Connect batteries to inverter, then to electrical panel through isolator switch and fuses.
• Ensure weatherproof connections and adequate wire gauges for current flows.

With the electrical systems complete, your scrap material wind turbine will be ready for installation and use!

Installation Tips

Proper installation of your homemade wind turbine ensures optimum performance and safety:

• Select a wide open site with consistent breeze and minimum obstructions.

• Anchor the tower base deeply in concrete to withstand turbulence and vibration.

• Follow electrical codes and safety procedures, with grounding wires and covers.

• Angle turbine into prevailing winds. Install yaw bearing for auto orientation.

• Raise tower vertically using pulley system or gin pole. Secure all bolts.

• Place batteries and inverter in weatherproof enclosure with ventilation.

• Connect to household wiring through isolator switch next to electrical panel.

Take care when lifting, climbing and securing towers. Now with proper installation, your scrap turbine will be ready for clean energy generation!

Maintenance and Troubleshooting

Some periodic maintenance will keep your homemade wind turbine running smoothly:

• Inspect blade condition and replace if cracked, warped or weathered. Rebalance rotor.

• Check and tighten all bolts and connections. Look for loose towers and housings.

• Clean debris buildup on blades and housing. Bearings may need lubrication.

• Monitor batteries and recharge if needed. Check connections are corrosion free.

• Verify inverter, fuses and wiring are all intact. Check for overheating.

• Monitor power output. Reduced generation may indicate broken magnets or bad bearings.

• Note any increased vibration or noise, which signals potential mechanical issues.

With routine maintenance and by troubleshooting any problems, your scrap material wind turbine should run for years! Adjusting the design for optimal performance will be an ongoing learning process.

Conclusion

Building a small scale wind turbine from scrap materials is a rewarding project that produces free clean energy. With some simple tools, basic skills, and salvaged components, you can construct a fully functional turbine at low cost.

Following the guidelines in this article will give you the knowledge to source materials, build key components, set up the electrics, and maintain your turbine. The skills you learn by building your own wind turbine will also allow you to enhance the design over time.

So tap into the endless power of the wind, and start your exciting journey towards building a scrap material wind turbine today!