Hack N Mod - Amazingly Cool Hacks, Mods, and DIY Projects » DIY Free Energy

DIY Wind Energy: The Green Electricity Turbine

Joe L — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 07:09:46 +0000

Using a motor from an old exercise treadmill and some PVC pipe, learn how to construct your own DIY wind energy turbine. While the electrical power may not be enough to get your home off the grid, but the project clearly explains in simple terms the technology involved in turning wind into free electricity.

Why Stop with Wind?

There are plenty of other ways to generate your own electricity and go green. Check out some of our DIY free electricity posts:

How to: Run Your Gadgets on 100% Green Energy

Saikat — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 21:00:53 +0000

The power grid is our umbilical cord. All the gadgetry of our techie lifestyle makes it seem impossible to live without it. Well, almost…because PopularMechanics senior technology editor believes that technology can lend a hand when there’s a blackout. That and, alternative sources of energy.

To prove the point that it’s possible to live off the grid and keep all your gizmos going, he decided to put his family through an off the grid lifestyle challenge. This how to will show you how to live off the grid with all your gadgets switched on: computer, internet access, LCD TV, Wii, cold beer, and power tools. Should life grind to a halt because there’s no power? Not anymore.

Off the Grid Power Plan:

All the power he generated is stored by charging two orbital gel-cell deep-cycle batteries powering an inverter.

Green Powered Gadgets:

The Experiment:

The location: 17-acre farm in upstate New York. A site with abundant supply of sunlight and wind.
People: 3
The challenge: To live completely off the grid using only the electronics and alternative power sources.

Living off the grid: Day 1

Day one started well with their arrival at the location. Glenn and his family came equipped with all the gadgets and the batteries fully charged up. On arrival, the thermoelectric fridge was plugged in and stocked with cold beverages. The other battery run devices were also connected for a cycle of recharge.

Assembling the solar panel took half an hour but the wind turbine presented problems because of the weather. Internet connectivity was setup with an Acer netbook connected through Verizon’s MiFi 3G wireless hotspot. Stereo music was piped from a Tivoli mini boom box. Entertainment as movies came from a 22-inch HDTV playing a Blu-Ray disc of Wall-E.

Day one ends well without the batteries needing a recharge.

Living off the grid: Day 2

Day two begins with both the batteries running out and needing replenishment. The plan was to hook up one to the Yamaha generator and the second to the wind turbine-solar array combo. The Yamaha generator charged up one battery in two hours while the solar-wind combo took up six hours.

Logistically (and physically) it was a challenge as hauling the heavy batteries from the inside to the outside and back was grunt work.

Living off the grid: Day 3 and more

Glenn develops a cycle for recharging the batteries. The batteries were charged up alternately through the solar-wind station and later it was topped up by the generators when the sun set. To prolong battery run, they also toned down the use of the more power hungry gadgets. The TV and the projector consumed 35 and 41 watts, respectively but ran in shorter bursts while the fridge ate up 50 to 60 watts all day long. So, the fridge got unplugged at the end of the day.

After three and a half days, the fuel for the generator ran out and that was the end of the experiment.

Lessons learned:

Glenn’s ‘field notes’ show that it’s very possible to live off the grid with a mix of the proper equipment and calculated use. The use of alternative sources of energy needs to factor in the whims of weather but it is a vital source of power. Those willing to forgo a part of the high tech luxuries can easily maintain the remaining ones.

What’s your Armageddon plan?

Perhaps our green electricity can help you get off the grid for the day.

Make a DIY Electric Bike from Drill Batteries

Joe L — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:32:13 +0000

We’ve see plenty of DIY electricity and going green projects, and here’s yet another to add to the collection. Check out the video to learn how to build your own electric bicycle out of some old drill batteries and common ingenuity. Check out our other post on electric bikes and also electric cars.

Project Specs (from the designer):

I chose a full-suspension mountain bike frame because the roads and even the bike trails here are so bad. I wanted to isolate the batteries, controller and my butt from the shocks. I also jump off curbs a lot.
I wired pairs of 36-volt Dewalt power tool batteries in series to get 72 volts and then wired each of these pairs in parallel. I can carry two, four, or six battery packs, depending on how long the trip will be.
I replaced my 36-volt, ten-amp controller with a 72-volt, 35-amp version. It also has immediate start, which means the controller does not wait until the wheel is rolling before it puts power to the motor. This lets me get through intersections faster and safer (although I have to be careful or my front wheel lifts off the ground).
I used a rear wheel motor because front wheels here tend to get bent by potholes and fixing one can be expensive if you have a motor mounted in it.
- More info in this article about the project.

Don’t miss these electric projects:

Wireless Electricity: Nicola Tesla Style

Saikat — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 20:55:39 +0000

Electricity delivered without wires has been a dream of inventors and individuals alike for centuries Think about it…wireless electricity (WiTricity) could not only eliminate wires but also do away with expensive batteries that account for billions of dollars wasted every year. What many people don’t know is that wireless electric power can be delivered over short distances.

It’s a phenomenon which relies on electromagnetic coupling between two objects whose magnetic fields are set to the same frequency. It was practically demonstrated by a MIT team recently in 2007. The theory and the work goes back a century to Nicola Tesla.

If you are still wondering about all that you can do with wireless transfer of power, take a look at the video demo. Eric Giller (CEO of WiTricity Corporation) takes you from the early years of development to the present day. And how it can change our future with instant wireless power and a world free of polluting batteries. One day, it could power our television sets, laptops and any device that we care to use. It is an innovation that could take a load off our planet.

Here are three more projects inspired by Nicola Tesla:

How to: DIY Solar and Wind Energy Tutorial

Joe L — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 17:25:06 +0000

Mother nature provides us with countless ways to produce our electricity. The tricky part is harnessing it. Learn how to install solar panels and wind turbines to generate all the electricity you’ll ever need.� Also, check out our energy efficient 110v LED light bulbs.

DIY Wind Power Tutorials:

GotWind.org is probably your best bet. It’s loaded with useful information to guide you.
Another fantastic resource to help you is wind power generation.
To start small, start out with some science fair level projects.
Ready to move on? Try a dirt simple turbine.
After that, move up and build your own backyard turbine.
Canada even published a lengthy article on how to build a turbine.

DIY Solar Power Tutorials:

Build it Solar has plenty of great information to help get you started.
Before you build, be sure to ask yourself some of these important questions.
Next, check out this detailed tutorial for an example of the steps you’ll be taking.
For a far more simple project, learn to generate free heat using pop cans and plexiglass.

If you’re craving even more info, see our DIY Free Electricity section. Need solar panels? We’ve got dirt cheap prices at the HacknMod store. Join the thousands of satisfied DIYers today!

Solar Energy Setup Tutorial = Free Electricity

Joe L — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:05:03 +0000

We’ve posted many tutorials about how to build your own solar panel arrays to create your own green energy.� Here’s yet another outstanding tutorial to guide you through the build process.� Al tough it may seem a little daunting, the setup is fairly simple and straightforward.� If you generate enough energy to power your home, the local city power administration is actually obligated to purchase any extra power from you!� Enjoy the tutorial, grab some test solar panels from our store, and check out some similar articles we’ve covered recently:

Build a Solar-powered iPhone Charger

JJMelo — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:20:19 +0000

How many times has your cell phone died in the middle of the day because of its lousy battery life? You have several options: you could recharge via wall socket, via USB, through an external battery or the green way, with a DIY solar iPhone charger. Don’t forget to pick up any needed supplies for this build (including solar panels) at our online store!

Don’t forget to check out our other iPhone hacks

DIY Green Energy Wind Turbine

Saikat — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:00:13 +0000

Finally you can rest your green conscience by building your own wind powered generator. This DIY wind turbine is easy to build especially since the authors show you how with step-by-step instructions. The wind turbine is unsophisticated in design but efficient as it produces about 84 Watts with 30mph winds. It wonâ€™t eliminate your entire electricity bill, but it’ll help you start your journey into the alternative energy movement.Â� Check out our DIY Free Energy tutorials and more details below.

Most of the parts needed to assemble the make-at-home wind turbine can be salvaged making the total build pretty cheap. The authorâ€™s website at Velacreations.com guides you through the nitty-gritty of putting the contraption together.Â� So go ahead, give this windmill a whirl. Reduce your electric bill and your carbon footprint in one go.

Build a Solar Powered Electric Car

Joe L — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 08:10:17 +0000

Since electric vehicles are the newest trend among the DIY green community, this solar powered electric car just takes the process one step further.Â� After previously constructing his own electric car, he wrote up a full tutorial about you how to convert a normal gas powered car into a true solar powered vehicle.Â� From removing the engine to installing your own solar panels,Â� everything is covered in the tutorial, complete with pictures and insights from the builder.

Similarly, the car seen above was built in Japan. Don’t miss our solar power and DIY free energy projects:

Field Of Fluorescent Tubes Powered By Ambient Current

Joe L — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 08:08:05 +0000

A British artist placed 1,300 fluorescent tubes in a field directly below high voltage power lines.Â� Although the tubes aren’t connected to anything but the earth, they are fully illuminated because of this phenomenon, “Powerlines are typically 400,000 volts, and Earth is at an electrical potential of zero volts, pylons create electric fields.”

The point wasn’t to expose the dangers of living near power lines, it was simply to create a neat lighting display. Nevertheless, it would be pretty awesome to “drive along the highway and glance into a field to see a giant array of fluorescent tubes lit wirelessly from the electromagnetic fields of power lines.”Â� Check out more of the artist’s work.

Similarly, Bre Pettis demonstrated wireless electricity in his History Hacker show on Discovery Channel (above).

See our LEDs, Lights and Laser projects.
Free Electricity from your Telephone Jack

Photo: io9. via Guardian