How to Build Your Own Inefficient and Impractical Backyard Wind Turbine

Introduction

I have always dreamed of generating my own renewable energy right in my backyard. After doing some research, I decided that building a small wind turbine would be a fun DIY project. However, I quickly realized that constructing a wind turbine that actually produces significant amounts of electricity is quite complicated and expensive.

So I decided to share my journey of building an inefficient and impractical backyard wind turbine instead! This way, others can learn from my mistakes and avoid the pitfalls of wind power as a hobbyist.

Choosing a Location

The first step in this project is choosing where to put the wind turbine. For maximum inefficiency, you'll want to select a spot with poor wind resources. Some things to look for:

• Areas sheltered by buildings, trees or other structures. Wind gets blocked easily.
• Low elevations. Wind speeds increase with height above ground.
• Urban environments. Turbulence from structures disrupts smooth wind flow.

Ideally, you'll find a spot where you feel barely a breeze on most days. This will ensure your turbine doesn't spin much!

Obtaining Materials

You don't need fancy or high-quality materials for this project. Here's what I used:

• PVC pipes of various sizes for the tower and blades. Cheap and easy to work with.
• An old bicycle wheel for the rotor. Make sure to remove the tire to reduce efficiency.
• A used car alternator to generate electricity. Doesn't need to work well.
• Wood scraps for the turbine mount and stator supports. Avoid sturdy hardwoods.
• Miscellaneous screws, bolts and braces. Bigger is not always better here.
• Cheap wire for electrical connections. I salvaged from old appliances.

Don't spend much money. Remember, the goal is inefficiency!

Building the Turbine Structure

Here are some tips for constructing an unstable and fragile turbine assembly:

• Use a flimsy frame for the tower. 2x2 wood studs or small diameter PVC pipes work great.
• Minimize cross bracing. The more the structure wobbles, the better!
• Attach blades loosely to the rotor. Bearings or fasteners are not necessary.
• Make blades uneven lengths for imbalance. This will put added stress on the components.
• Mount the alternator carelessly with lots of play and vibration.

Safety is not a priority here, so don't worry about following engineering best practices.

Connecting the Electrical System

To achieve maximum inefficiency, follow these electrical guidelines:

• Use the thinnest wire gauge available to reduce current capacity.
• Ignore electrical codes and just twist connections together haphazardly.
• Add plenty of patchy electrical tape to exposed wires for safety! (/sarcasm)
• Connect a few small batteries together to store a tiny bit of power.
• Avoid a charge controller and dump power straight into the batteries.

I also installed a cheap inverter, LED light, and multimeter so I could at least visualize some electricity generation.

Results of My Project

After completing my wind turbine using these flawed methods, here were the (unsurprising) results:

• The turbine only spins when the wind blows strongly. Even then, it vibrates wildly and sounds like it will fly apart.
• On a good day, it might charge the batteries up by 1 volt. Progress!
• The highest power output I've recorded is around 10 watts. Barely enough for an LED lightbulb.
• Gusty conditions often cause the frame to sway and the blades to spin backwards. Not ideal.

So in summary, I successfully built an inefficient backyard wind turbine! It can barely power a few small electronics. Don't expect it to reduce your energy bills.

I still had fun with this project and learned a lot in the process. Hopefully you'll find my guidance useful if you attempt this ambitious folly as well! Just be sure to focus on safety.