Spotted: $30 DIY Wind Turbine

DIY Wind Turbine

Switching to solar or wind power can be expensive, but projects like this open source DIY wind turbine just might make alternative energy more accessible!

Our sister site Sustainablog pointed us to this tutorial at SolarFlower.org for building your own wind turbine. This project isn’t for the power tool-shy, but in terms of difficulty it’s one of the simplest DIY alternative energy projects I’ve seen. Check out this video showing the finished product in action:

Related Reading: DIY Tea Light Heater

To build your own wind turbine (!), you need:

  • a power drill
  • 4mm metal drill bit
  • craft knife
  • 20mm x 20mm angle aluminum
  • tape measure
  • pop riveter
  • 7mm, 15mm, and 17mm spanners
  • bike cone spanner
  • Sharpie
  • tape
  • clothespins
  • scrap wood
  • computer and printer
  • 12 aluminium lithographic offset printing plates
  • 126 4mm diameter pop rivets
  • 18 M4 bolts and nuts
  • 18 spring washers
  • 42 washers
  • 27″ bike wheel
  • 6 bike wheel spokes

A lot of materials, I know. Like Jeff at Sustainablog mentions, the $30 price tag assumes that you have those power tools already – they’re only pricing out materials that you can’t scavenge. Once you’ve gathered up everything you need, check out the wind turbine tutorial at SolarFlower.org!

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