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Simple DIY 200 Watt Wind Turbine Built From Household Materials

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The Zoetrope is “A low-cost, open-source wind turbine” that you can build at home very inexpensively and with materials you can find at home or down at your local hardware store. It produces about 150-200 watts of electricity, depending on the location.

The plans are freely available under a Creative Commons license, which means they’re free to use and improve upon on your own project at home.

The Zoetrope Wind Turbine

Zoetrope vertical-axis wind turbine, Source: Appliedsciences.net CC BY-SA 4.0

 

The Zoetrope Wind Turbine

Zoetrope vertical-axis wind turbine, Source: Appliedsciences.net CC BY-SA 4.0

Applied Sciences made the decision to open source the wind turbine and provide a freely available introduction to wind power, thereby allowing others to improve the design and functionality. The construction guide represents a realization of the open source decision. It details the build process and includes a complete materials list as well as recommended tools. – Applied Sciences

The Zoetrope Wind Turbine

Zoetrope wind turbine, Source: Appliedsciences.net CC BY-SA 4.0

 

The Zoetrope Wind Turbine

Vertical-axis wind turbine, Source: Appliedsciences.net CC BY-SA 4.0

The Zoetrope is a vertical-axis wind turbine made from common materials such as stove pipe, metal brackets, plastic sheet and a trailer hub. Many of the materials can be found at local hardware or home improvement stores, the rest can either be made at home or purchased online. The Zoetrope was commissioned by Washington (USA) resident and renewable energy supporter Mike Marohn to provide supplemental water heating.

The Zoetrope Wind Turbine

Zoetrope wiring diagram, Source: Appliedsciences.net CC BY-SA 4.0

Projects like this make renewable energy accessible to a wide audience of DIYers who may not be ready to purchase expensive wind or solar power setups. One little vertical-axis turbine may not power your whole home, but it’s a great start.   

The plans can be found at The Zoetrope Wind Turbine

Zoetrope - Simple DIY 200 Watt Wind Turbine Built From Household Materials - EcoRenovator

Tuesday 20th of May 2014

[…] build it. Perhaps I'll price out what the BOM would cost. Obviously there is a bunch of time too. Simple DIY 200 Watt Wind Turbine Built From Household Materials Applied Sciences - Building […]