5 Responses

1. Small wind turbine does not equal large voltage. That being said – if you build a propeller and attach its shaft to a dc motor you will create electricity. It is very easy to power some LED’s with a very small motor in this way.

2. This page has some links with basic info:
   http://www.otherpower.com/toymill.html

3. See the link I attached, but this is a hell of an undertaking. Your best bet would probably be to contact a couple of turbine companies and proposition them for some sort of donation of either parts, money, or how-to knowledge.

   Off the top of my head, wind power requires a well-designed turbine, a mate to an electric generator, a diode bridge to rectify the AC input to DC output, and some sort of charging/battery unit (I believe you can buy units off the shelf at Amazon). You’ll want to make nice with a local machine shop too, because if you have to make parts, the matings between the turbine and generator shaft can be expensive.

   Once you’ve stored the DC power in batteries, you then need a setup to convert that to 120V 60Hz AC power, which is another expensive rig. Then you need a licensed electrician to wire that into your schools power grid (if you can get permits to make changes to a public facility). Write some letters to your town representatives and start shaking down all the local businesses for donations.

   Best of luck, and I hope this works out for you!

4. By large voltage, I’m assuming that you need 120 volts AC, the standard for most American households. Anything larger wouldn’t be practical, unless you were looking to sell the juice. Then you’re talking big bucks to build it.

   I would look for blades from an old ceiling fan for the impeller. Maybe trim them down a little to reduce weight so they spin easier.

   Go to a car parts store and pick up a high amperage alternator, a deep cycle battery, and a power inverter.

   Attach the blades to the alternator to get it to spin. This’ll probably require some creative drilling & bolting. Mount it on some 3″ black iron pipe like a birdhouse. Again, you’ll need it to be sturdy and to turn into the wind. You will need to fabricate a bracket to mount the alternator and a tail fin. It will have to be able to spin, so a bearing might be in order that can be pressed into the pipe. Hammer the pipe into the ground 6-10′ deep, and it should be ready to wire.

   Wire the alternator to the battery to keep it charged up. Run the inverter off of the battery. Put a disconnect switch in between the battery and inverter in case it drains the battery down too far.

5. Here’s a link to a review of DIY wind turbine plans that you can build yourself. The guy who has written it is kind of funny, too.

   http://www.wind-generator-plans.com/