Just wondering if anyone (Wiskas?) has dabbled in making their own wind turbine? I think it wouldn't be legal where I'm at to keep it running unless it was tiny (due to noise, shadow flickering and ugliness) but thought about building something like this just for fun: http://markproffitt.com/2012/01/23/windmill-from-snow-shovels/ Maybe I'll make a scale model and just see if I can get a watt or so and run something really tiny for now I've also been playing with solar stuff again. Really cool.
you want a tube turbine for city homes..no one will know what it is and it as effective as the big blade tubines.
vertical axis is definitely the way to go in a residential area. I've made several prototypes that worked OK. Since I started my business, I haven't had the same amount of energy to put into experimenting as I used to and most projects have been shelved for now. This is a promising turbine design: http://www.windstuffnow.com/main/lenz2_turbine.htm I have one sitting on the shelf that I've yet to benchmark. I've also contemplated converting a ceiling fan motor into a generator but have yet to try it. I have salvaged four sizes to experiment with. They seem like they'd work well with a VAWT. Neo mags would produce a lot more current, but also require a bigger turbine with more wind energy to overcome the super-increased magnetic drag. My source for magnets: http://www.magnet4less.com/product_...d=365&osCsid=53b3cadb78818617533fa3c172a319a5
