Micro Wind Turbines for the Beginner: How To Part 1 | Missouri Wind and Solar

[@PineIslandSeeds]

This is the clearest explanation thus far that I have seen for how wind turbines work. I just subscribed.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks, i am glad i could help out.

[@planetquarry]

pipgal, exactly the same thing, happen to me.

[@homayounshirazi9550]

There are charts made for every region of the U.S. that help figuring out what the average wind speed is and what the average yearly power produced is. If you live in a region where there are lots of tall trees near where you plan to install your wind turbine, DON'T! you would be wasting your MONEY! It would take you more than 25 years to break even! Remember, EDUCATE YOURSELF before you buy something in the HOPE that it would save you money. The seller of these turbines is trying to make money! You will not get the information you seek from that person. Read all that you can before letting someone put a wind turbine on top of your house! The vibration of the blades is going to keep you awake all night! If you have a beautiful tree that is 50 feet tall and just outside your front door, then you need to put your small wind turbine at least 1,000 feet away from that tree or else that tree will create turbulence that will interfere with your wind energy production. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER and I am sure you are familiar with the saying that A SUCKER IS BORN EVERY DAY! ;--))) With respect. Good luck.

[@stevengillespie6535]

Same

[@armyreconm60]

@@MissouriWindandSolar great Video...Greetings from Australia

[@matthewknight5641]

I know this video is 9 years old at this point but if you still see the comments I'd like to tell you thankyou again. We in the community still need information that you give us. Thanks for your service to our community

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Absolutely! While there are some updates to the charge controller technology the fundamentals still apply and we're glad that this series is still helping people understand small wind better.

[@davef.2811]

Though now almost 10 yrs old, still a great, real-world video to explain the fundamentals. Thanks, if you're still up and running.

[@QuantumRift]

This is a good video. I have a BS in aeronautical engineering (and thermodynamics) and your explanations are sound and spot-on. I have a 23' windmill at my pond here, used for aeration...it's a Becker Mills, and has the turbine and pump assemly on the top of the tower. It was here when we purchased the property. The turbine is made of formed sheet metal. The original turbine self-destructed about 2 months ago. After a couple of days of heavy winds, I went back to inspect it and nearly ALL of the turbine blades were broken off at the ROOT, where the bend is in the metal, where it uses three bolts for each blade to the hub. Well anyways, the turbine was just hanging on by 3 bolts, and I was able to remove the turbine. I purchased a replacement turbine, and of course, had to assemble it. About 6 feet across, 13 blades, with a reinforcing ring about halfway between tip and root. The new turbine also had braces at the blade root. See, the years of 'flexing' in the wind finally cracked and broke the blades. When it's sitting there, it can flex forward and backwards, depending on the wind. I worked for GE at the jet engine plant in Cincinnati and specifically wiith turbofan engines, and I felt somewhat bad that I had allowed this to happen to me. Believe me, I'll be inspecting the blade roots very closely from now on.

[@arnoldromppai5395]

just so newbies know this guy is using the totally wrong name for the wind mill blades, he is referring to them as the turbine, a turbine is used in hydro generating (water) an no not the water paddle wheel, a turbine is what makes the 3 phase power, dont ever waste your money on DC anything, 3 phase is by far much cheaper and puts out more power at much lower inputs and with 3 phase you dont need huge copper wire, same with solar, stay away from the DC panel's. i been testing for over 40 years, all started by building every part. just know a turbine is what makes the power not his blade as that what broke, not the turbine, with wind it the generator, water uses a turbine to make the power witch can be made out of the old washing machine stator, metel water cups an a plastic drum. take a little rewiring to make it 3 phase

[@QuantumRift]

@@arnoldromppai5395 True, though over the years the word "turbine" has been used as well to just describe the moving parts of a mechanical device that changes the motion of wind or water into rotary motion. there's no real 'static' stationary part (stator) of say, MY own windmill, just the moving parts. So I got lax in using the right term, so I stand corrected!

[@LTVoyager]

I guess you were sleeping in the electrical part of your physics classes. The video gets skin effect completely wrong. He says DC travels on the outside of a conductor and AC travels on the inside. DC travels on the full cross section of a conductor so solid conductors are just fine for DC. AC travels on the inside in an annulus that gets smaller as frequency increases which is why many AC conductors are tubes rather than solid (see skin effect or skin depth).

[@murraybonner1662]

Thanks to your video, the fear of the unknown has dissipated, and I think this is entirely doable. I still know enough to know I don't know enough, but this provides the initial foothold I needed. Very nicely done!

[@doittoday1]

This was by far the simplest explanation of installing wind power. A person could take this info and actually install their whole system thanks to you . Well done.

[@HRMcKee]

thank you for teaching and not trying to just get rich off people you are the best

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Money isn't everything. Jeff

[@HRMcKee]

:)yes u r right

[@arianinocencioii6331]

HR McKee is

[@visamedic]

I don’t know how many videos on solar and wind I’ve watched, but your the first for me to subscribe too. I’ve always messed with solar on my travel trailers, works great for boon docking while deer hunting and such, but I want to go off grid. This gave me a lot more info than I could want, and I’ll be checking out whatever videos you have on it. Thank you for explaining the “why” and then the “how”. I’m wanting to turn one of my flatbeds into a power plant, solar and wind with a battery bank inside, 5k generator mounted outside with a charging system in case, for some reason, that I don’t have wind and sun for a while. It’s to be stand alone, otherwise, and would be braced and tethered. I know this is very possible seeing that while these fires ripped through our state, and doing standbys for them, I saw setups designed to run command centers in the middle of nowhere. I’m sure it’s gonna cost me a small fortune upfront, but I know it’ll save me big time in the long term.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks for watching!

[@lastdaysguitar]

Very informative video, especially regarding the propellers! However you seem like a guy that wants to be correct, so in interest in assisting in that, and as a design engineer of VDC and Battery systems in telecomm +30 years I have a few concerns: 1) on the VAC rectifier pack installation if I may: The rectifiers keep cool much more effectively if you install them so the heat sink fins run vertically rather than horizontally, while the system may not reach thermal saturation in the horizontal orientation, putting them horizontally will choke the development of air exchange convection currents required to best offload the heat exchange from the fins. Conversely, vertical fin arrangement will draw cooler air in from the bottom and flue the hotter air out the top to create convection cooling air currents that will extend the life of the product... i.e.: in general MTBF is cut in half for every 10C increase in baseplate temp., also rectifier efficiency declines with increase in temp. - so anything that offloads the rectifier circuit heat is a good thing. If you turn it 90 degrees you will have the proper orientation for this type of heat sink. 2) Use "No-Ox" on all of the VDC terminal connections, tinned connections are good, but No-Ox'll extend termination life by orders of magnitude. 3) You'll want to take that ring off when working on high current power systems, OSHA violation. I've known a guy (now deceased) that lost his finger this way - amazing how fast those rings get red hot when they are dead-short welded across high current contacts. 4) Skin effect is not a VDC phenomenon, it is an VAC phenomenon, what is causing voltage drop inefficiency on VDC lines is not skin effect. that it does not get to benefit from collapsing (reversing) magnetic fields on the conductors power transfer (as VAC does). 5) This was not covered, but providing both VDC & VAC output systems are very efficient. If you are going to run any VDC systems into the service area to regain conversion inefficiencies (for example for emergency lighting) it is preferred to maintain reasonable efficiency that you run more batteries in series to reduce current requirement and reduce cable AWG required, -48VDC is a good and common system, and anything below 60 VDC can be installed with PLT. Higher than that requires licensed electrician.

[@lastdaysguitar]

Michael Baker There are opinions... and then there are engineering facts, do not confuse the two. I'm a professional engineer.

[@NebRadojkovic]

I am a draftsman and I don't care about opinions. Jeff did an excellent video.

[@Edgardocelectric007]

lastdaysguitar

[@brandonmcbride3983]

These replies are silly.

[@brandonmcbride3983]

Great job breaking that down. It's obviously not an opinion. Thanks for the facts. It rounds out the video

[@hughchoob7502]

Missouri wind and solar. You are the epitome in clear and concise explanatory educative videos .thank you a thousandfold. Wishing you all the best.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

+Hugh Choob Thanks Hugh.

[@jcdpb]

Building my first home and want clean energy. This video is soooo helpful. Thank you.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks for watching!

[@davidhewson1234]

Information clear and concise, especially cables for 1ph and 3ph. Also best blade number and pitch etc. One of the best exposes I've seen. Thanks. Dave

[@feasternate]

I actually an currently in school to work on wind turbines, and this guy is very knowledgeable and accurate. nice video

[@patriot9455]

it has been three years since you commented on the video, are you in the wind industry as a professional, yet.

[@snorttroll4379]

and what is the take home salary

[@Neuron43]

Your videos are important to us little people trying to save a buck anywhere we can so don't let the negative comments interfere with your work here. Those people that point out anything you leave out or make suggestions on how things could be done better should be making their own videos not trolling other people's vids.Thank you for passing on your learnings.

[@lawcorp]

I really wish you weren't silenced at the end of the video. the electrical stuff is what is most important to me

[@CrookCountySoftwear]

He was explaining a dump load. I think its optional. Little research outside of youtube on this 12v system will help you learn more about this electrical stuff. He can only go so far into details or the video be very long and boring. This video seems to be more based on his products that he sells on his website.

[@TrickyVickey]

lawcorp yes I was disappointed as well and feel like i missed some important info.

[@dennisder7472]

Awesome video. This was a great video. I just found it. Very helpful and extremely informative for a beginner like me.

[@vonries]

@@CrookCountySoftwear I know this was a long time back for you (2 years +/- ), but what they are talking about I'm pretty sure is the fact that there is no sound on the video. The sound cuts off in a number of spots, but the end is the longest dead air.

[@dondep]

I agree; I felt like it was the end of the movie and you don't get to find out exactly "whudunnit"! What I was really hoping to hear at the end was the sentence that was interrupted when Jeff was about to explain how you could expand that system by adding series of turbines, solar panels, or batteries. Maybe he has another video on just that, I just subscribed so let me dig in....gotta be here someplace...

[@jiwbink]

ALL of your videos ARE CLEAR,CONCISE AND VERY EASY FOR THE NON-TECKIE TYPE TO UNDERSTAND, not to mention the MONEY SAVING TIPS YOU PROVIDE!!SUBSCRIBED!!!THANK YOU-WILL SHARE YOUR VIDS WITH FRIENDS & FAMILY!!

[@FrankHurt]

Thanks for taking the time to explain things in such simple terms. There is so much contradictory information online, that it makes it really difficult for a homeowner to figure out without dedicating whole weeks to research. I'm eager to set up my first wind turbine, and I'm going to give Missouri Wind and Solar a closer look.

[@JG-mg3if]

Did you end up getting your wing turbine?

[@FrankHurt]

@@JG-mg3if I did not; we ended up going with a propane powered standby generator for backup supply to the homestead. I'd still like to get a wind turbine set up but we needed something that could be counted on regardless of weather conditions.

[@JG-mg3if]

@@FrankHurt Thanks for the reply 🙏🏼

[@FrankHurt]

@@JG-mg3if hey, you're welcome! I'd completely forgotten about watching this video six years ago. I'll need to watch it again and refresh my memory.

[@jameswright9615]

This is so far that I've searched that gives one of the clearest explanations of the way it works.

[@gbowman7344]

The best honest reviews to date on wind and solar power and how you can apply it to your own needs. Very well done Sir! Kudos.

[@Hands2HealNow]

You are a true man in service to humanity. God bless and keep you.

[@colp2660]

Hi Jeff, Just seen part one for beginners guide. Very informative, hard to find a site with no BS and some one thats actually tells you how it is. Good genuine information, look forward to viewing more. Keep up the good work! :-)

[@angelfeather7547]

I knew nothing about wind turbines 'til I saw this video, I feel well informed now. You make it look so easy. I bet these cost alot of money for all the parts and wires you need.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

+Angel Feather It doesn't cost as much as you think

[@mr.sparksllc3274]

Jeff, I love the turbines and install them for my customers. You have to start standing behind the products you sell. Today, I called for a bad ammeter on my controler, and was told to call Coleman who build it. Colman charged me for the replacement part because I didn't buy it from them. They offer the same controler for 30 bucks less, and they will stand behind what they sell.

[@martharichardson4865]

THIS GUY MAKES A GOOD TEACHER HE IS VERY INFORMITIVE

[@kingstoncowboy01]

Nice video…. but how do the wires stop from twisting down the pipe as the wind blows around?

[@myjizzureye]

Are you cooked?

[@steviewander2693]

MyJizz UrEye are u?

[@kadmow]

AvidHunter : valid concern.. some installs use a chain which will bind up after "so many rotations" eliminating the risk of cables betting "over twisted"

[@KennyScarecrow]

Wire brushes anyone..

[@scorpiofl1]

didn't you see, they had a romex connector on top of the pipe...

[@OdinX316]

Excellent video Jeff, very informative. Thanks for doing these video's with all the practical and logical information for everyone to use!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

OdinX316 Your welcome, glad you got some use out of them. Jeff

[@autumnschlappi]

This has been the clearest explanation that I have found so far explaining how all of this works. Everything else I have seen made it all seem so much more complicated! Thank you so much for all of the information!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Your welcome Autumn

[@Commsprepper]

What keeps the wires coming off the win turbine from twisting if the rotates too many times in one direction? Are there stops with the mounts or something?

[@mattamiller]

I have the same question.

[@ronmachisen]

Me too. I noticed in the video that it was even secured at the top of the pipe.

[@joewamsley8004]

Well... are you running it in a tornado or something? It'll turn back and forth and twist the wire which stranded wire is meant for that and has to twist enough over lets say 100' at a minimum. In the end it'll just even out in each direction but that is a real long distance to make a problem. No mechanical stops required.

[@JosBernz]

I watched many of your "Solar and Wind for newbs". Best informative videos I found. Thank you for your time.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks. I really hope people get something out of them, i love doing them. Jeff

[@mrmarkspencer8314]

7:17 You say DC current flows around the outside of the wire and AC current on the inside. This is backwards. AC flows in both directions, causing an EMF, in the centre, which pushes the current to the outside. (look up reactance and its effect regarding resistance). It's a term called skin effect. DC current does not cause this. DC current uses the entire conductor. Solid, large gauge wire is best for DC to avoid "voltage drop". Look up skin effect, and you will see it does not apply to direct current. Great video otherwise. Thanks!

[@boobooproductions1201]

Thank you....

[@jimross2565]

@@boobooproductions1201 You are correct about not using the house wiring for a wind turbine, but the reason is that house wiring is, as you say, a solid conductor, and any vibration, or movement from being blown around in the wind will cause the wires to break. The stranded wire will withstand considerable flexing before it breaks, and it fails gradually, with only a strand or so breaking at a time. This is the reason you never see solid conductor wire in automobiles, motorcycles, etc. Even if you had the house wiring connected to the mast solidly along it's entire length, the mast will still sway slightly in a strong wind which will cause the solid conductor to break. Mark is right about the 'skin effect', but it is almost nonexistant at low frequencies, and only becomes a problem at very high frequencies. This is the reason a solid conductor is fine for household wiring which uses either 50 or 60 hz frequencies. At those frequencies the 'skin effect' is nonexistant.

[@garypedro8006]

I dont see why solid romex say 12/3 with ground couldn't be used through the building up to a j-box where it changes to a SOJW cord up the tower. Were flexabilty is required. The part I dont get is not using slip rings. How many times can the thing spin around before the so cord wraps up so tight it snaps.

[@rolandtremaine1677]

gary pedro n

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

Been watching your videos for three years now. Finally putting it all together. You’re amazing Mahalo

[@dogfaceboy25]

Thanks for a very detailed video. I had been looking into solar (I'm very new at this) but here in Pa. we get a lot of good wind, so for the past month I've been looking into your vids mainly to better understand turbine systems. This video covers a lot of ground on turbine and now I'll be going with a combination of wind and solar. I guess that's why your called Missouri wind and Solar....lol Thanks again Jeff!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

John Doe Thanks John

[@stevenraeburn8178]

This is the 1st video on wind turbines i have watched - awesome - very informative.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Glad it was helpful!

[@countrygirl-mg9bg]

Is it posable to have a wind turbine that you can put up and take down for a RV. You could make it quick connect and disconnect. You could also fold it and cover it for when you travel. Just thinking.

[@scottwydra6365]

Could leave it up while driving down road just imagine all the power you could make

[@parmorama]

Thank you, your the best wind turbine guy on KZbin 👍👍👍

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thank you!

[@georgefiolka4063]

Many thanks for your presentation and explanation on home wind power. Good job good video.

[@nickg4431]

Miss talking to this man! He was so smart! Glad this video poped back up!

[@luckycat66]

Great "How To" video Jeff !!!! Really opened my eyes to some new energy sources ! I hope you know how important you sharing your knowledge and experience is to other "Utubers" !! Salute !!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Jack Taylor Thanks Jack. I have more how to videos coming soon. Jeff

[@rajarajan5060]

Tel can add more battery to save power.and one more thing air working possible

[@Windturbinebod]

Brilliant accurate & concise advice given by this guy.I have made dozens of turbines & Rotor sets.

[@raymcginty2053]

I skimmed all the questions but didn't see one concerning the wiring being tied off. my concern is when the wind shifts over time in a 360 degree circle the wire becomes twisted once around the mast, over time it becomes twisted again..This will eventually take all the slack out of the wiring and began pulling on the connections. What is the solution for that problem? Unless you leave the top clamp unsecured to the mast so the 3 conductor cable twist on itself and every so offten you unhook it at grade level and manually untwist it then reconnect the cable. This, while a simple fix, strikes me as being less than ideal. anyway, loved the info, especially the part on blade design.

[@steveevans7489]

I thought the video was really good too, but I have the same question. It seems over time the wires will get all twisted up and break because it seems very unlikely that exactly half of the time the turbine rotates left around the mast and the other half of the time it rotates right.

[@chazbotable]

Same question here. Is it necessary to remove wires occasionally and un-twist them and then re-attach? Or is there a way to rig a pivot joint? Or...???

[@jdmills5179]

i have the same question about the cables???

[@venkatratnam6144]

Ray McGinty y

[@tonylong7058]

cards against humanity

[@simplybeautiful4117]

Your presentation is clearly understood by a rookie woman! Much thanks for keeping it clear and to the point.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Hey J, I am glad I could give some good info.

[@sprungmonkey6inches]

thank you. i've always wondered about off grid power setups but never cared enough to look it up. You're a great educator and i just subscribed. thanx

[@terrytytula]

I'm still a little unclear about the wires going into the pipe. won't they twist up in time? Having the wires rubbing on the edge of the pipe, won't that wear through the insulation an short out? I thought slip rings were required to prevent these problems.

[@AG-xr2jy]

Terry Tytula It is made like a Track lighting but made to rotate on to of each other

[@wesshank1910]

There's actually a product called a slip ring specifically designed for this: mwands.com/store/180-amp-6-wire-slip-ring-wind-turbine-generators

[@sUASNews]

Love this video, will have a look at the rest of the channel to see if there is an updated version. Thanks very much for taking the time.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@premiersharpening]

Great video, very informative and educational! I've looked at a lot of videos with a lot of different set ups and yours looks so clean and simple and durable. I have a mobile sharpening service with a 5000 watt inverter and 3 batteries. I use a solenoid switch between the engine battery and the two in the back of the van. The alternator charges the system. I've had this idea of putting some type of low drag wind turbine on top the van to charge batteries while driving. About the size of a soda can with little fins, oriented on the roof or under the chasis like the wheels are. Don't know how to do the math to figure if the drag would cancel out the gain. Just curious, thanks for the video.

[@daver.9668]

This was really easy to understand.. right up to the point where the sound kept crapping out from 28 minute mark on. Really wanted to hear the rest of what you were talking about.. You settled a lot of issues I have been confused about for a long time. Thanks

[@legend343]

Thank you this really has helped me... instead of reading and getting it wrong I watched and saw how it was done.! Warren s/y Legend

[@georgestreeter3992]

This is the most informative alternative energy video I have watch or read yet!!!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks George

[@georgestreeter3992]

You're welcome Jeff. I have a question for you Jeff. Is there a way I can make a windmill power source that can offset the cost of the local utilities electricity I use to power the central air conditioning unit I use to heat and cool my home? To be frank, I am so tired of being charged for monopolized services!

[@3salamanders]

Wow! Actual information! My brain's not used to finding this online. ;) Great video. Thanks for all the truly useful information.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks I'll be doing more on wind turbines soon. Jeff

[@akachi349]

By fat By far the best and simplest explanation on Solar and Wind power. I just subscribed.

[@resurrectionx5952]

This man deserve a medal he just revealed all those scaming company's secrets.Thank you sir.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Your welcome

[@lindaphillips8303]

R41n R1d3r no he hasn't he is sales rep and I noticed problems from the get go just another blagger

[@matthewszostek1819]

this is THE BEST wind power video I have ever watched. very thorough. thank you.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks

[@CajunWolffe]

I would have really liked to have heard the last part about the dump load, damn dude!

[@barryjohns1965]

I am knew to the off grid stuff and I have learned more from the six or eight videos of yours that I have watched than anything I have watched or looked up and read.

[@charlesmaddare8313]

Sir you are the best and i will be coming back , just your web page.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

mwands.com

[@edwardshomestead9074]

@@MissouriWindandSolar Hi. I'm building a 5k 48v 3 day battery backup system using 4 12v 100amp lithium ion batteries and I would like to use the best wind turbine that you have to use with my 1200watts solar array. What turbine do you recommend for the Bahamas, wind speed is very low, below 7mph most of the time.

[@fightswithspirits915]

Edit: best video I've seen explaining the technology so that customers can make the right design decisions.

[@CTimmerman]

7:12 AC flows on the skin of the conductor due to the friction caused by its frequency. DC flows through the entire wire diameter.

[@johns9739]

"Skin Effect" only happens at high radio frequencies and irrelevant at the low frequencies which will appear in a wind turban of these types.

[@cyclecooler]

This may be nearly 10 years old but there is some wonderful information to be had here. Way ahead of your time cheers!

[@fordNugget]

A lesson to watch for every new wind turbine guy - Thx Jeff! would be nice to see a freedom 12v or even 24v(!) 7 blade wind turbine... from missouri wind and solar on the roof of our RC plane club house, to charge our lipo batteries from a off grid system :-)

[@Outback_Recluse]

Thank you, sincere thanks indeed. I've been looking into wind power to offset our electricity costs and quite honestly have put it off because I didn't know how to reasonably get the power into our home. We only rent this home and so modifying the fuse box etc is prohibitive. Our biggest expense is the hot water system which we can't reasonably connect wind power to as its hardwired into the house's system but thanks to you I now grasp how to connect our fridge/freezer, air con'/heater to which are the next most expensive things. I like your explanation so much also because it isn't reliant upon a smart device & app etc for control which may fail. 6 years old and this video is still the best, most useful I've ever seen. Yours sincerely Paul Bourke (outback Australia)

[@DanHarville]

The Frank Zappa of Wind Turbines.

[@davidwhiston9328]

That was my first thought too!!!

[@robertsanders339]

Haha I saw it as soon as I read ur post

[@Wagohowardhanahou]

Huh- Zappa ref and a back up?.. anyone ever been to a holiday in? Lol I love all Zappa! And love Jeff! He is like the full version of Inca roads from Barcelona... mmmm butta!

[@jerbear7952]

Dang you beat me by 3 years.

[@scotts.8967]

Dude this is an awesome video you should be a full-time KZbin video maker finally somebody that knows how to explain something simply great job

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks Scott

[@boringopr4369]

Thank you jeff I will follow the instructions to a tee

[@barrowoj]

Thanks very much for this video. It's the most informative one I have come across in a long odyssey - explains all the concepts in a practical and understandable way.

[@sphillips6357]

I'm no electrical expert, but why can't you use ordinary Delco car alternators? They're very cheap, they could rev to 10,000 rpm's for short periods of time with no damage, but are happy at rpm's below 1,000, they have built-in rectifiers, and can properly charge and not over-charge common car batteries in parallel banks regardless of input speed, and with or without a load they don't mind. And if the rpm from the fan is consistently too low, some type of gearing could be used between the fan and alternator. The only big expense I see are the fans themselves, and perhaps the housing to keep the weather off the alternators. Inquiring minds would like to know . . . sure seems like a lot of electronics could be eliminated and you'll have something that has a demonstrated reliability of many years. I've only replaced the alternator once in my 24 year old car with over 300,000 miles on it.

[@ancienttom97]

A car generator requires a starting voltage to drive it's armature. This is used by your car to regulate the charge current coming out of the alternator thus regulating the car's voltage to about 14v at full charge. To use a car's alternator, you would have to supply the regulation circuitry to the alternator that is not really necessary in this application. also, at a car's cruising speed, the motor is turning at approximately 1800 rpm. With this in mind, you would have to use pulleys and a belt to turn up the speed of the alternator being driven by the wind blades to get maximum output of the alternator. This would add undo bulk, weight, and loss due to drag and friction of a pulley system. We are dealing with trying to convert wind pressure to electricity and if we are lucky, we'll get winds that are more than 5 o9r 6 mph. The trick is to create as much efficiency as possible and not introduce any loss of wind power because of bad or Micky-mouse design. It seems to me that the most efficient process would be to minimize the mechanics at the head and do all processing on the ground where you can take advantage of state of the art charging control.

[@sandylee3572]

I was wondering the same thing.

[@alhefner]

In the video, the REASON for using a standard generator to generate AC current is plainly laid out. As SAID IN THE VIDEO, DC current simply does not travel well. The line loss is always significant over any distance of more than a few feet unless very large diameter stranded wire is used.

[@ghz24]

AFAIK all mechanically generated electricity starts out as AC it's just a matter of where and how it is converted into DC. And 3 phase random frequency or "wild" AC makes perfect sense for transmitting down the tower and as close to the point of use as possible . I'm pretty convinced that the best design for small home wind generators is a axial design vs the rotary design intrinsic in the automotive alternator.

[@eagle1532]

Just answered my question at 5:20 Made me feel very happy that I bought an AC unit and not a DC unit becuase of that expensive wire price. Great video, thank you for uploading

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Your welcome Rambo

[@sissy1339]

I've been looking at solar power for emergency but I live in California and we are under weather warfare now 5 years. This is the reason why we have over extreme drought. Our blue skies almost don't exist and the sun is usually blocked by clouds even during summer as the military jets aerosol spray our skies almost 24/7 with chemtrails (prevents precipitation). After watching this video where I live we always have a sea breeze after 10 am until sundown. I need your opinion and advice asap because I want to be prepared for an emergency which may happen sooner than later!! Thank you, I really understand you with your breaking it down with a beginner!! I will be doing this project by myself and basically I just use my computer, cell phone, a light in living room and kitchen (refrigerator, toaster, coffee maker, washing machine and gas dryer and gas stove). If I don't have gas I have camping stove with plenty propane.

[@sissy1339]

I've taken hundreds of photos of military jets with attached nozzles literally aerosol spraying these chemtrails all over the sky that do not dissipate but expand within 3 hours creating complete cloud cover! It's you who does not want to believe. Invention of chemtrials is to prevent precipitation. Your either a troll OR don't bother to watch and look up at your skies, eventually you will see them and the flat cloud formations.

[@birdbraINCorporated]

try researching the subject checkmate. its almost common knowledge at this point. ever hear of cloud seating?

[@jeffrichards5008]

During the Vietnam war , our military was seeding clouds for more rain on Vietcong supply routes.

[@sissy1339]

Jeff Richards They do a hell of a lot more now with electromagnetic weapons. They cab install high and low pressure where ever they need it to change the jet streams. And can super heat storms with microwave RF. It's really terrifying to know and watch this, 1PacificRedwood channel.

[@brandell4638]

So WHY would or the military want to prevent rain via these trails? Nobody seems to expand further.

[@ascentialamalgorhythm2991]

Thank you! I have a little farm that's way off grid and I'm doing all of the research I can to get my netgain motor from an electric car project into a wind turbine to power my shop! This was the best help one could ask for!

[@muddymuddymuddmann]

EXCELLENTE! NICE VERY NICE.

[@Powerful1776]

What about grounding? My 3 phase wind turbine isn't charging my batteries. It is an AC generator. I don't have it grounded, do I need to ground it's body? I am not using a rectifier, I have a charge controller with a built in rectifier. 3 in from turbine and 2 out to batteries, yet no charging is happening. The light from the turbine on the controller is just barely lighting faint and the battery light is bright green.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Here's my 11th GIVEAWAY CONTEST, ENDS JULY 2015 kzbin.info/www/bejne/farEnXuLgNF9kNE

[@davidmorrow5058]

MissouriWindandSolar Wind Turbines are fairly worthless, All you need to do is utilize thermal solar power using water heated by the Sun to run steam driven turbines. Use some of that electricity to induce the electrolysis of water into one side hydrogen and the other oxygen. Use a compressor to fill tanks of hydrogen for running the boiler when the Sun goes down or on cloudy rainy days, make and store enough hydrogen so that trucks, cars, and buses run on it (very little modification needed to do this with combustible existing engine). Utilize the compressed oxygen for medical use. We already have all this technology now. If you are interested in citations for all of this I wrote a paper on it in 2012, [e-mail]

[@nicholasfernandes2217]

+Tom Chambers I agree with you Tom!..That's the contrary!!!... wind power can produce much more than solar panels, considering the possibility to run for 24 hours...Besides, Wind power requires less space to install the same power....I mean, compared to solar systems.

[@nicholasfernandes2217]

Kkkkkk.... leaving in a cave???!!!...hilarious

[@davidmorrow5058]

If you want intermitent power to charge batteries in an off grid situation, go for it. If you are talking about wind farms and transmision of that created electricity over long distances it is to expenxive, ask T. Boone Pickens. There are two types of Solar one is solat photovoltaic which a cell will last about fifeteen years and starts to level down its energy output which is truly very small output at peak performance, for our energy needs as a World you would have to cover the Earth with them. The other Solar is Solar thermal using mirrors to heat water to well over 1000 degrees farenheight(sp) using steam to drive existing steam powered turbines. If we use some of the electricity for electrolysis of water we produce hydrogen on one anode and oxygen on the other anode divide this so one side hydrogen the other oxygen and we compress these gases into tanks and use the hydro to heat the water on cloudy days and when the sun goes down eventually storing enough hydrogen to power cars and trucks the only pollution is water vapour from a hydrogen burn.

[@nicholasfernandes2217]

+Jeff Harmon Missouri Wind and Solar you're absolutely right Jeff. Here in Brazil we have many wind farms connected to the main Power supply providing an important amount of energy during the dry season when the reservoirs are low and the winds are hight. ... besides other smal solar plants perform and important hole on the energetic matrix and help the hidroeléctric power plant to recover from dry season.

[@cipicopi5017]

Sir, God bless you. Honest man. If I were in America I would travel half country to do business with you. Unfortunately I'm in the Balkans. But the video and the info was so so usefully. Thanks

[@reagentism]

all electricity flows on the surface of the wire. therefore stranded wire has vastly more surface area and so can carry more amperage AC or DC it doesn't matter. more surface equals more amperage. For prof of this concept look to super high amperage cable they always have super fine stranded threads ie welding cable. Everyone should consider never using single strand AKA solid wire on anything ever ever ever. Looking at the death toll for romex wired houses should convince even the most skeptical

[@bigdpw]

Electricity moves through the covalent bond of the atoms of conductive elements such as copper, aluminum and iron. It does not travel only on the surface of wire. Stranded wire is used on larger gauges of wire for flexibility reasons not conductive reasons. If your reasoning were true then the bus bars (the devices that carry all of the current in a distribution system) would not be solid, but they are solid. Open your breaker box on your house and you will see what I am talking about. All of the bus bars distributing electricity to all of your circuits are solid.

[@reagentism]

bigdpw Yep, that's not true at all, take a look at the wire that has the heaviest amperage requirements SOOW, MTW, welding cable ect. (all of which have very small gauge wires because their increased surface area can carry more amperage in comparison to solid wire which can carry the least amperage for its size) It's not for "flexibility" it's for amperage capacity. "Electricity" moves through the outer shield of the atom much more easily in atoms with many electrons in the outer shield that's why we call them conductors rather than those with very few electrons in the outer shield (called "insulators")

[@bigdpw]

reagentism It's called the valence electrons or valence orbitals. Electrons move across the outer orbits of the ATOM'S shell where a hole is present in the valence of an ATOM not on the outside of a WIRE. Wire is made up of millions of atoms and to think only the atoms on the outside of wire can carry current is a very rudimentary understanding of electricity. If you want a deeper understanding of the properties of electricity there are some basic courses at your local college that can get you started. Also learn as much as you can about Nikola Tesla and why DC current requires larger conductors than AC current.

[@bigdpw]

reagentism Also when you are talking about cable type such as soow, mtw, thhn etc. the ratings are based on the insulators ability to insulate for a given wire gauge not because of some magical power of stranded wire.

[@reagentism]

bigdpw OK I shouldn't have said "all". Most would be more appropriate. Thanks for the advice on local colleges, that's actually a very good place to start. All else equal the ampacity of a wire is increased by increasing it's surface area retaliative to it's size. That is why stranded wire can carry more amperage than solid wire of the same size. And that is why very high amperage wire has very fine strands. Because it increases surface area, thus increasing the amperage of the wire.

[@hollyberryperry8893]

Yours is the first video I understood thus far. Thank you immensely.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks Hollyberry and sorry bout the sound in the end. KZbin did that.

[@wesleymercer7496]

Note to self: RECTIFERS

[@randallmarsh446]

see home made rectifiers..i make them by taking the diodes out of microwave ovens ..they carry a very high voltage rating and a current kickback.preventing damage to electrical components in between the circuts . But used for bridge rectifiers in applications like this you cant go wrong unless your dealing with very very high current loads .

[@chrisbaker2903]

What he says about wire sizes and number of strands is contrary to what I've learned from Electronics and electrical courses over the years. First of all what determines the wire size you need is purely the amperage it will be carrying. The higher the amperage the larger the wire. You will get the same power loss over distance if the VOLTAGE is the same for the AC as for the DC with the same load on the end of the run. And about AC traveling on the outside of the wire, yes if you're running RF frequencies. At 60 or even 400 hz (cycles per second) ac reacts to wire diameter pretty much the same as DC. The reason he's running AC over an extension cord is because the voltage is high but the amperage is relatively low. Depending on how much voltage you want to run through your rectifier you may want to add a step down transformer to bring the AC down to the appropriate level. For instance you only need about 15 Volts AC to rectify to DC and then run through the charge controller or maybe simply a good voltage regulator to provide the 13.8 volts DC that is what is nominally 12 volts as used in a car. You can do it the way he says but you'll lose a lot of efficiency if you don't step it down before rectifying it. In my opinion he's doing the same thing he says the sellers of the turbines with the built in rectifiers is doing and that is making his system look better. Ugh, number of blades. He neglects to tell you about multiblade aircraft propellers. Go look at all the large world war 2 bombers and the fighters and count the blades on each engine. Usually 4. Many modern aircraft use more blades than that. But many even most of the aircraft of WW2 had 4 blade propellers. The problem with the blades passing the support is why they put the blades on the upwind side of the support rather than the downwind side. If the blade goes BEHIND the support it creates a serious vibration problem. In front there is no problem. It's no more difficult to balance a 4 bladed propeller than it is a 3 or 5 blade propeller. And I'm done. I'm leaving at 12:41 into the video because I can't continue watching his hogwash. Yes his own term applies to what he has been saying. Oh and I've only worked on electrical and electronics equipment since about 1964 when I started rewinding the armatures in slot car motors to make them draw more current at the same voltage.

[@jmpmcd]

wind turban............spinning headwear?

[@donlawler9510]

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!! (,,,the content is so good that the sound trouble at the end is totally forgivable) Thank you very much for making this video!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Sorry bout the sound. Don't know what happened, it was perfect until i uploaded it. By the time i noticed it i had already had lots of views so i said to heck with it and left it that way. But thanks for the compliment.

[@patricklenz5857]

Sound keeps going in and out on this very hard to learn what you are trying to tach

[@bills4202]

Thank you. The first 5 minutes of this video saved me at least $100. I have been battling with wire running to my charge controller.. did not know that solid copper was a no-no.. even went with the heavier wire as wire gauge chart says it should handle my amps.. but only showing half of what should be there.. so i'll be going with wire strand.. thanks again =]

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Your welcome bills4202.

[@Kosmonooit]

rant about conductors is nonsense

[@weredoomed6401]

+Kosmonooit You're correct he has it backwards. www.allaboutcircuits.com/textbook/alternating-current/chpt-3/more-on-the-skin-effect/

[@baggins919]

at 20:51 whats to stop the turbine head going round and round in the wind and eventually turning the wires off ? apart from that question it was a great video really informative

[@b2brtc]

You've probably addressed this already, but how do you keep the wires from twisting and binding up as the wind turbine turns in circles?

[@jenniferlyn7615]

Very happy with all the explanation in this video. As well as made it very east to understand everything. Great job on the video.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

jennifer lyn Thanks Jennifer

[@brandell4638]

Even with the low tech illustrations and audio issues, you covered so much in such an easy to understand manner- I'm a new sub. Thanks!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Your welcome and thanks for the sub

[@country5344]

thanj you for sharing ... I wonder why sound was muted at aprox min 29:00? while you were explaining about the 2big load resistors? please fix it. Thanks again

[@toash1]

Doing a project on an electric bike that can be charged by micro wind turbines.. and so far this is the best video that actually teaches and covers all of it. Sir, you rock. Greetings from Australia.

[@KaylaJoyGunn]

If you try to charge a moving vehicle on wind power, you've already put yourself in the ground.. Because you're causing drag, and will only generate a fraction of the power you've already lost.

[@Batshitcool]

Nice series Jeff. I'm puzzled, though. What keeps the wires (@20:18) from 'winding' inside the pipe, if the turbine decides to turn multiple 360s? I didn't notice some type of compass point limiting. ( I hope this doesn't turn into some kind of 'brush rotor' solution, lol ).

[@DanRingwald]

Jeff - thank you for taking the time to make this video - Micro Wind Turbines for the Beginner. This really helps me in getting started and you have included information I have never heard anywhere else. Fantastic!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thank you!

[@JG-mg3if]

@@MissouriWindandSolar You guys do installation on your systems?

[@maryrhodes5925]

Thank god, we found someone that cuts through the bs and gives you the pert a novice can understand. Good job Jeff.

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Your welcome Mary. Jeff

[@muzicplyr111]

yes, i agree with pigpal..this is the clearest explanation . Takes the fear out of connecting the wind turbine, tower, etc,,,, thank you

[@robertnorrell9073]

even your hand drawn sketches on a torn piece of paper are very good, my friend. Thank you !

[@mickgatz214]

I'm only 8 minutes into this video and learning so much! Hey, Old video, but valuable infomation. Many thx for your upload. I will watch it over and over. Greetz from Australia. Mick

[@engineeringbasics9204]

Thank u sir. The best explanation i have seen over net regarding wind turbine installation and power line connections. being a mech engg i had some doubts which your video has clarified. Thnak u once again.

[@AndrewBrenner1]

Couldn't you use the dump load to actuate a hinge on the turbine tail to kick the blades out of the wind?

[@SilverRaven1959]

Missouri Wind and Turbine - Ow you a big thanks...spotted so many things I'm doing wrong. Will review your video a few more times and start over...Thanks a Bunch!!! I'm a Canadian so I will pray for you!!!

[@GlobalTubeTruth]

Jeff, do small turbines designed for non-commercial, residential use create measurable levels of low-frequency sound?? Or does that happen only with the large commercial units?? It's a serious subject of health concern for any people and if you addressed that concern in a video, I think it would benefit and educate any people who think that all turbines are health and environmental hazards.

[@jerryhartlein]

Very clear in plain English. Good Job!!!

[@MissouriWindandSolar]

Thanks Jerry

[@sylviacole8043]

Thanks for this very informative video. I have never understood what people/websites try to teach about building, fixing stuff, etc. but your 30 minute training is exceptional. I actually understood it and learned how! In Bullhead City, AZ, the wind never stops (almost). 10 mph is a slow day. 15 mph + is normal. Thanks! we need this!