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Wind Energy STEM Activity: Building your own model Windmill

On a family trip to New Mexico this summer, we saw a wind farm. My boys were curious how the windmills worked. I told them that the wind made the windmill turn, and the windmill was attached to  a generator that turned the movement into electricity. They were ok with that explanation, but I thought a hands-on activity would help them better understand. So I found a model windmill kit as a fun STEM activity for us learn about wind energy!

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I found this windmill model kit , which looked simple enough for us to build together.

Building a Windmill

First we took everything out of the box, and made sure we had all of parts. To confirm we had what we needed, we matched each piece to the bill of materials provided with the instructions. When I looked at the instructions, the first thing I noticed was that an exploded view of the windmill was provided. I showed it to my son, and reminded him we had learned about exploded views with another toy .

What a love about exploded views is you can see exactly how something is put together, even without instructions. Or, if something in the instructions is unclear, the exploded drawing always clears it up.

Our Windmill’s Gear Train

The first step was to connect a large gear to a small gear. The small gear connects to a generator, and the large gear connects to the windmill. The two gears make up the windmill’s gear train. A gear train is a series of gears that transfers motion from the beginning to the end of the train. The windmill’s gear train transfers motion from the windmill to the generator.

Depending on the sizes of the gears, motion is either sped up, slowed down, or kept the same. The windmill’s gear train, when the large gear completes a full rotation, the small gear turns 6 times. So motion in the gear train speeds up.

What is a generator?

The generator changes the mechanical motion of the windmill into electricity. In other words, it converts the kinetic energy from the rotating windmill into electrical energy.

Turning Wind Energy into Light!

The next step was to connect the wires from a small light bulb to the generator. We learned from one of my son’s Tinker Crates that electrical energy (or electricity) is created by the flow of electrons. Connecting the light bulb’s wires to the generator allows electrons to flow from the generator to the light bulb. So now when the windmill spins, the light bulb turns on!

Putting our Windmill Together

We connected the windmill blades to the shaft of the large gear. The final step was to attached the windmill assembly to a stable base. We filled an empty water bottle halfway with sand, then screwed the windmill onto the water bottle.

Now it was time to test out our windmill! We took it outside on a windy day, and lo and behold, our windmill worked. We were able to use wind energy to power the light bulb!

Did you enjoy this STEM activity? Try some of my other ones!

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How to Make a Windmill for a School Project

How to Make Steamboat Science Projects

Using a few common household items, you can build a working windmill with your kids for any school science project. If your children are especially keen, you can even make it produce electricity, based on the American wind machine design from the late 19th century. The windmill will generate enough alternating current, or AC, to power a small light bulb. If the experiment is indoors, or on a calm day, you will need a small electric fan to create the wind.

Building the Windmill

1. Create the bottom base of the windmill by gluing 10 wooden craft sticks, side-by-side to each other with wood glue.Repeat with another 10 wooden craft sticks, glued side-by-side. Glue the two bases on top of each other, in opposite directions, to make a two-layered bottom.

2. Create the tower of the windmill by gluing the bottom of the paper towel tube to the center of the base using wood glue. Ensure the paper towel tube is tightly glued down by adding several coats of glue around the edges of the bottom of the paper towel tube.

3. Push the nail through the top of the paper towel tube leaving an inch of space between the top of the tube and the nail. Spin the nail several times to create a large hole allowing the windmill to easily spin.

4. Glue a large craft circle to the head of the nail using a glue gun.

5. Glue six wooden craft sticks to the back of the wooden circle spaced evenly apart creating the fan blades.

6. Test the windmill's spinning capability by pointing the fan toward your windmill and turning it on.

Generating Electricity

1. Attach two magnets to each side of the nail inside the paper towel tube. Wrap the entire roll of magnet wire around the top of the paper towel tube, surrounding the nail hole without covering it up. Tape down the magnet wire leaving both ends loose by about three inches.

2. Cut back the plastic covering of both ends of the wire by at least one inch. Make sure all the covering is scraped off, exposing the copper colored wire.

3. Twist each end of magnet wire around each end of the light bulb wire tightly.

4. Test the windmill by turning on the fan which should spin the windmill blades and light the light bulb.

Things You'll Need

Related articles, how to make an electric motor using a 9v battery, how to make a negative charge magnet, how to make a powerful dc electromagnet, how to build a simple electrical transformer for school, how to build a magnetic coil, how to create a magnet dynamo, how to produce power with magnets, how to build a wind turbine for kids, how to make an electromagnet for kids, how to make a super power electromagnet, how to build a speaker for a science project, how to create a powerful magnetic field, how to make a vacuum cleaner, how to make a capacitor, how to build a mini electric car for a science project, how to make an alternator, simple electrical projects, electricity projects for 5th graders.

• Amasci: Ultra-simple Electric Generator
• Popular Mechanics: Make Your Own Miniature Wind Turbine

About the Author

Jennifer Guy, a freelance writer since 2008, enjoys writing technology and creative arts articles for websites such as eHow.com. Guy has an associate degree in computer science from the University of Cincinnati, as well as a graphic design certificate from Saddleback College.

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Wind Turbine Experiment  WIP

Meta Description

Learning Objectives

Understand the energy transformations which occur in a wind turbine.

Observe a DC motor operating in generator mode.

Observe the operation of a polarized electronic device.

Current The flow of free electrons through an electric circuit.

Electrical Energy Any energy absorbed by or produced by an electric circuit. The voltages and currents in the circuit determine the energy dissipated by the circuit.

Generator A device which converts mechanical energy in a rotating shaft into electrical energy at its output terminals.

Kinetic Energy The energy a moving object has due to its motion.

Light Emitting Diode (LED) A polarized two-lead device which lights up.

Motor A device which converts electrical energy in a supply to mechanical energy causing the motor shaft to rotate.

Polarized Device An electrical device which only allows current flow in a single direction.

Voltage An electrical force which makes free electrons move through an electrical conductor as a current.

Step 1 Cut out a piece of cardstock which is 10 cm by 10 cm. In the following steps, make reference to the template

Step 2 Using a ruler, draw two diagonal lines from corner to corner of the square.

Step 3 On each line, make a mark 2 cm from the centre of the square.

Step 4 Cut the card along the lines, cutting from the corners towards the centre of the square. Stop cutting then the scissors reach the 2 cm markings.

Step 5 Locate the corners marked with circles in the template. Fold these corners and attach each one to the centre of the square using staples. Ensure that the staples are placed very close to the centre of the square. You have created the four turbine blades of the pinwheel.

Step 6 Pass the motor shaft through the layers of cardstock at the centre of the pinwheel. Scissors may need to be used to make a small incision in the cardstock.

Step 7 Secure the pinwheel in place using the small cap which was attached to the motor shaft. If this cap is missing, use a small piece or cork or clay.

Step 8 Connect the LED to the motor supply terminals. The leads of the LED could be directly inserted into the supply terminals, or the wires could be used to create the connections.

Step 9 Turn the cup upside down. Use the hot glue to attach two ice cream sticks to the sides of the cup, opposite each other. Make sure that the ends of the sticks extend above the bottom of the cup. Try to align the sticks so that they are at the same height.

Step 10 Use the hot glue to attach the motor between the ends of the sticks.

Step 11 Turn on the fan. Holding the cup, place the turbine model in front of the fan and observe what happens. What happens if the pinwheel is rotated in the opposite direction?

• Brown tape could be used instead of hot glue. However, the structure would be less stable.
• The motor could be salvaged from an old toy, as long as the specifications are similar to those mentioned in ‘Materials Required’.
• The hot glue gun should be used with the help of an adult and under strict supervision since hot glue is a burn risk. Younger children should not be allowed to operate the device.
• Use adequate protection to prevent the work surface from being damaged by the hot glue.
• Handle scissors with care. Place on a table when not in use.
• Take care when punching the cardstock. Keep your hands and face away from the path of the motor shaft.

Have you ever held an umbrella on a windy day? Sometimes it feels as though the wind is trying to snatch away anything you have in your hands.

Wind is so powerful because it carries a lot of energy. That’s why engineers are trying to capture the energy in the wind and convert it into electricity which we can use to power our homes. For this they use wind turbines.

The wind has enough enough energy to turn the blades of huge wind turbines. Because they are moving, the blades have kinetic energy. As the wind turns the turbine blades, the turbine rotates the shaft of the generator. The shaft triggers a special process in the generator which generates electricity. This energy travels out of the turbine as current and voltage.

Therefore, the generator converts the kinetic energy in the blades into electrical energy, which we can ‘see’ when the LED switches on.

Why does the LED light up? Generator outputs a current.

How does the generator change transform energy? The shaft turns a wire in a magnetic field, producing electricity.

Why does the LED sometimes light up and sometimes remain dark? LEDs are polarized devices.

Why are wind turbines found in groups (farms)? Need many turbines to power the grid.

Do wind farms affect the weather? Local day temperatures are cooler, at night they are warmer. 

What problems do you think wind turbines create? Noise, visual pollution, danger to birds.

The toy motor can be operated in two modes:

Motor mode: A battery is connected to the supply terminals and the motor shaft spins. Electrical energy (from the battery) is converted to kinetic energy in the rotating shaft.  Generator mode: The shaft is rotated and a voltage is developed across the supply terminals. The energy transformation is opposite to motor mode. This mode of operation was used in the experiment.

The airflow from the fan exerts a force on the pinwheel, causing it to spin. Some of the kinetic energy in the air particles is transformed into kinetic energy in the spinning pinwheel. The pinwheel is directly connected to the shaft of the generator, such that as the pinwheel begins to spin, so does the generator shaft.

The generator converts the kinetic energy of the rotating shaft to electrical energy which powers the LED. (Video). The rotating shaft causes a voltage to develop across the supply terminals, which causes a current to flow through the LED, making it light up.

The LED only lights up when the motor is spun in a particular direction. Changing the direction of rotation causes a voltage with an opposite polarity to be developed across the supply terminals (the plus and minus of the voltage are swapped). The LED is a polarized device, meaning it will only light up when the voltage is in a certain direction. 

The DC toy motor was operated in generator mode. It converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by Faraday’s Law of Electromagnetic Induction. When a conductor moves within a magnetic field, electrons within the conductor tend to move perpendicular to the magnetic field. This generates an electromotive force (EMF) across the conductor, resulting in a flow of electrons in the direction of the EMF. This results in a current flow out of the generator and through the load, which in this case is the LED.

The conductor wire is wound round a rotating armature to create the rotor of the motor. The rotor rotates with the shaft. Fixed magnets in the stator produce the magnetic field. The stator is stationary. The rotation of the coil results in variation in the magnetic flux coupled with the wound conductor. This leads to the development of a DC voltage and current. Thus, the mechanical energy in the shaft is converted to electrical energy, which manifests itself as a DC voltage and current.

An LED is a current-controlled device. This means that the intensity of the light is directly proportional to the current flow through the LED. The figure below is  a labelled diagram of an LED .

In order for the LED to conduct current and thus light up (forward bias operation), the anode terminal must be at a higher potential than the cathode terminal. Applying a reversed voltage polarity sends the LED into reverse bias operation. In this mode it blocks current flow and thus does not light up. 

Applications Some places have better conditions for wind farms than others. Usually, the average wind speed 50 m over the ground has to be at least 25 km/hour. Wind turbines are helping many countries cut carbon emissions in energy generation. However, their environmental impact is debated.

Onshore wind farms are built on land. They are the most cost-effective type of farm. They must be carefully situated because they are noisy, can be a hazard to birds, and cause visual pollution. O ffshore wind turbines are thus gaining popularity. Near the shore, the turbines’ supports reach down into the seabed, which can affect benthic communities. Further out to sea, the turbines are placed on floating platforms. Deep offshore wind farms are situated far enough out at sea so as not to be visible from the coast. Offshore farms are more expensive to build than onshore farms and may still affect the surrounding environment.

Experts suggest pairing wind energy generation , which is very effective, with other renewable generation methods, such as solar panels.

Research By 2020, the European Commission plans for 20% of of power to be sourced from onshore wind farms. Recent research has been focused on bringing wind turbines into urban and rurban areas, where there is promising market potential. This requires the development, construction and testing of new small wind turbines. Research aims to reduce maintenance costs, increase performance and decrease noise and vibrations in these turbines.

Wind turbine blades, generators and towers are exceedingly heavy , making them difficult and expensive to transport. Bladeless wind turbines are a possible solution. These lightweight, cylindrical structures oscillate in the wind. A generator converts the the kinetic energy into electricity. These structures do away with the heavy gears and bearings in traditional wind turbines.

• Vary the speed of the fan and observe how it affects the brightness of the LED.
• Remove the LED from the generator. Attach a 1.5V bulb in a bulb holder to the supply terminals using some insulated copper wire. Does the direction of motion of the pinwheel affect whether the bulb switches on or not?

Preparation: 20 minutes

Conducting: 10 minutes

Clean Up: 10 minutes

Number of People

1 participant

2 ice cream sticks

Hot glue sticks

Insulated copper wire or alligator clip wire

Light emitting diode (LED)

Small paper cup

Contributors

Microelectronic Circuits by Sedra and Smith, Pgs 156-157, 204-205 (Book)

Differences Between Electric Motors and Generators

How do Wind Turbines Work?

How Wind Turbines Affect Your (Very) Local Weather

Pinwheel Pattern

Pinwheel Wind Turbine

Additional Content

Learn About Wind Turbines (Beginner)

Wind Power (Beginner)

Do Wind Turbines Kill Wildlife? (Intermediate)

How do Wind Turbines Work? (Intermediate)

The Future of Wind Turbines? No Blades (Intermediate)

Fluid Mechanics: A Crash Course (Advanced)

The Trouble with Turbines: An Ill Wind (Advanced)

To Get Wind Power You Need Oil (Advanced)

Cite this Experiment

Padfield, N., & Fenech Salerno, B. (2017, September 30). Wind Turbine Experiment. Retrieved from http://steamexperiments.com/experiment/wind-turbine-experiment/

First published: September 30, 2017 Last modified: October 30, 2017

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Science Projects > Earth & Space Projects > Experiment with Wind Power  

Experiment with Wind Power

Pinwheel wind turbine.

Make a pinwheel to see how a very basic turbine works, and then use it to create electricity!

If you don’t have the electrical components, you can still do the first part of this project to see how wind can create mechanical force.

>> Use this pinwheel pattern (PDF) to build your turbine.

What You Need:

• Pencil with eraser
• Straight pin or thumbtack
• Small electric motor (can find at a hobby store)
• Alligator clip leads  or insulated copper wire
• 1.5-volt bulb and bulb holder (you can also find these at a hobby or hardware store)
• Strong fan (standing or box fan)

What You Do:

Part 1 – Pinwheel

1. Cut a piece of cardstock into a 4′ square. (If you’re only doing this part of the project, you can make it bigger if you like.) Look at the pinwheel pattern to do the following steps.

2. Use a ruler to draw diagonal lines from corner to corner. Make a small mark along each line 3/4 of an inch from the center of the square.

3. Cut along the diagonal lines toward the center until you reach the 3/4-inch mark.

4. Fold the corners marked with circles on the pattern into the center and staple the layers together. (You’ll probably need to use at least two staples, but make sure to leave space between staples in the very center). When all four ‘blades’ are folded in, stick a straight pin or thumbtack through all the layers at the center. Push the pin through the eraser on the pencil to finish the pinwheel.

5. Hold the pinwheel in front of a fan and watch it spin. The currents of air coming from the fan catch the curved part of the blades, causing them to spin.

Part 2 – Generator

2. Use the alligator clip leads to connect the motors wires to the light bulb.

3. Now hold the motor/pinwheel close in front of the fan again. Does the bulb light up? Look closely – you should at least see the filament begin to glow. The brightness of the bulb will depend on how much voltage your turbine is producing, which can change with the size of the pinwheel and the strength of the fan.

What Happened:

When you attached the motor to the pinwheel and put it in front of the fan, you transformed the motor into a generator , which converts mechanical force (the spinning of the pinwheel) to electricity. It does this with the help of a magnet inside the motor. When you connected the wires of the motor to the light bulb, you made a complete electrical circuit, allowing the electricity to flow from the motor through the bulb and back again.

One way to measure power is in volts . A volt measures the amount of electricity flowing through a circuit. The faster a generator spins, the more volts it will produce. With our simple wind turbine, a smaller pinwheel will produce more volts because it can spin faster. To fully power the bulb, your turbine would need to produce 1.5 volts. If the bulb just glows dimly, it means the turbine is producing less than 1.5 volts.

Real wind turbines have very large blades, so they have gear boxes that increase the rotational speed (how fast the shaft spins). For example, the main shaft might turn only 22 times per minute, but the gears in the gearbox can use that power to make a smaller shaft turn up to 1500 times per minute, creating a lot more voltage!

More experimentation: If you have a digital multimeter , you can measure the amount of voltage and current (amps) produced by your mini turbine. Experiment with larger or smaller pinwheels, or make individual blades like a modern wind turbine. Which design can produce the most voltage? Which produces the most amperage? When would you want more amps and when would you want more volts? What size of pinwheel causes the light bulb to glow the brightest? Can you use your turbine to power another motor? To lift weights?

Wind Energy

(In fact, almost all sources of energy originate with the sun!)

As the sun shines on the surface of the earth, it heats the land faster than the oceans. The warm air above the land rises, and when it does so cooler air from over the water rushes in to take its place—this is wind!

Meanwhile, the rising hot air cools and descends back down over the water. This air circulation is called convection . You may wonder how you have wind in your area if you don’t live by the ocean.

Convection is happening on a huge scale throughout Earth’s atmosphere, so it doesn’t just affect the coasts.

Wind is a form of kinetic energy , meaning that it is in motion. For centuries people have used windmills to harness that moving energy into a mechanical form to perform tasks such as grinding grain or pumping water.

In our society we mostly use energy in the form of electricity, so modern wind turbines are designed to produce electricity that can be fed into the local power grid.

Wind turbines have three main parts:

• Tower: Built on a sturdy foundation, a wind turbine’s tower may stand well above 100 feet tall. At that height the wind is likely stronger and more consistent, since it is not being deflected by trees and buildings. Also, the height prevents the blades from being a danger to livestock or other animals.
• Rotor: A modern wind turbine generally has three long, streamlined blades which together are called the rotor. The diameter of the rotor is sometimes more than 250 feet, almost enough to cover a football field when lying on the ground!
• Nacelle: The rotor is attached to the nacelle, which houses all the components that convert the motion of the wind to electricity—such as the generator, gearbox, and controller.

While a single wind turbine can produce quite a bit of power, turbines are often built in groups, called wind farms. These are built in windy areas, usually open flat plains or exposed ridges.

Since wind energy is a renewable resource and does not produce any pollution, it is a good alternative to fossil fuels.

A wind turbine can produce enough electricity in about 6 months to recover the amount of energy used in building it, although it takes much longer than that to pay for itself.

In the US, the production of electricity by wind is increasing by up to 50% per year, as more wind farms are built. Countries like Denmark are producing close to 20% of their electricity needs from wind power.

While wind energy is a great supplemental energy, it is unlikely to become a primary energy source due to limitations on where turbines can be built and the unpredictability of wind.

More Alternative Energy Projects:

• Build a Water Wheel
• Weather Experiments (Including creating a convection current and making a sea breeze!)
• Build a Solar Oven

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How To Make A Windmill Generator Science Project

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By the year 2030 Denmark will have the largest investment in wind generation. They are finding ways to make offshore foundations right now. By 2030 well over 100% of their populationís power will be coming from offshore windmills. All of the windmills will be either in the North Sea or the Baltic Sea. They have ideas for three different offshore foundations for the windmills.

Video advice: How To Make a Wind Turbine Generator Using Plastic Bottle

Hi Friends:) Today all of you will see How To Make a Wind Turbine Genetator Using Plastic Bottle

WHICH WINDMILL BLADES ANGLE IS MOST EFFICIENT – The results of the experiment were that the closer the angle of the blade to 75 degrees; the more electricity was produced for all blade sizes except 100 cm2. At 75 degrees, The 300 cm2 blades were most successful generating 57 dc milli-amps. The 200 cm2 blades were second most successful generating 52 dc milli-amps. The 400 cm2 blades were second best in generating 51. 3 dc milli-amps. If you put the hub of the windmill and have the blades attached to it, it will show that the span of the 400 cm2 blades are bigger than the wind generator. This could explain why the 400 cm2 blades did not create as much electrical current as the 300 cm2 blades. The 100 cm2 blades did not spin at any of the 7 different angles because the total area of the blades was too small to catch the wind. The wind force was not strong enough to overcome the sluggishness of starting the motor.

Green Science Windmill Generator at Incredible Science

Build this amazing wind generator and learn about renewable energy. Watch the LED glow as it is powered by free energy from the wind. No batteries required! Help save the planet by using a recycled plastic bottle to support your wind generator.

SEE VIDEO BELOW! Build this amazing wind generator and learn about renewable energy. Watch the LED glow as it is powered by free energy from the wind. No batteries required! Help save the planet by using a recycled plastic bottle to support your wind generator. What you’ll get: 1 Rotor 1 Front-housing with gear and rotor shaft installed 2 Half screw caps 1 Tail 1 Toy motor with gear 8 Small screws 1 LED unit with wires and detailed assembly instructions Incredible Science Fun Learning Ideas: Learn about renewable resources. Discover how windmills create energy. Discuss other ideas how we can all pitch in and help save the planet. 1) Teachers’ Choice Award (USA) – Family Winner – 2) Dr. Toy(USA) – Dr.

How To Make A Windmill – Follow our easy instructions for how to make a windmill. Windmills for kids are a fun hands-on project for all ages.

Traditionally windmills were used on farms to pump water or grind grain. Today’s windmills or wind turbines can use the wind’s energy to generate electricity. Make your own windmill at home or in the classroom from paper cups and a straw . All you need are a few simple supplies to get started. We love fun, hands-on STEM projects for kids!

• INSTRUCTIONS

Wind Energy Experiments & Turbine Science Project

HST’s wind energy experiments includes a pinwheel wind turbine. Printable pinwheel pattern included! Check out other alternative energy projects.

Real wind turbines have very large blades, so they have gear boxes that increase the rotational speed (how fast the shaft spins). For example, the main shaft might turn only 22 times per minute, but the gears in the gearbox can use that power to make a smaller shaft turn up to 1500 times per minute, creating a lot more voltage!

• Pinwheel Wind Turbine
• What You Need:
• What You Do:
• What Happened:
• Wind Energy
• More Alternative Energy Projects:

More experimentation: If you have a digital multimeter, you can measure the amount of voltage and current (amps) produced by your mini turbine. Experiment with larger or smaller pinwheels, or make individual blades like a modern wind turbine. Which design can produce the most voltage? Which produces the most amperage? When would you want more amps and when would you want more volts? What size of pinwheel causes the light bulb to glow the brightest? Can you use your turbine to power another motor? To lift weights?

How to Make a Windmill for a School Project

Using some cardboard, craft sticks and a glue gun you can make your own windmill. With some magnets and wire it can even produce electric energy.

Generating Electricity – Using a few common household items, you can build a working windmill with your kids for any school science project. If your children are especially keen, you can even make it produce electricity, based on the American wind machine design from the late 19th century. The windmill will generate enough alternating current, or AC, to power a small light bulb. If the experiment is indoors, or on a calm day, you will need a small electric fan to create the wind. Building the Windmill 1. Create the bottom base of the windmill by gluing 10 wooden craft sticks, side-by-side to each other with wood glue. Repeat with another 10 wooden craft sticks, glued side-by-side. Glue the two bases on top of each other, in opposite directions, to make a two-layered bottom. 2. Create the tower of the windmill by gluing the bottom of the paper towel tube to the center of the base using wood glue. Ensure the paper towel tube is tightly glued down by adding several coats of glue around the edges of the bottom of the paper towel tube.

how to build a wind turbine science project

Price : Rs. 80000/- (Ex-stores & packaging). (Excluding transportation cost, taxes etc.)

The most common material used in Kaplan Turbine blades are stainless steel alloys (SS). The martensitic stainless steel alloys have high strength, thinner sections than standard carbon steel, and reduced mass that enhances the hydrodynamic flow conditions and efficiency of the water turbine.

Contents1 How do you make a wind turbine for the school project? 2 How do you make a wind turbine step by step? 3 How do you make a windmill for a science project? 4 What is needed to build a wind turbine? 5 How do you make a windmill out of cardboard? 6 What is the cost of windmill? 7 Can I build my own wind turbine? 8 How can I make my own electricity? 9 What are good science fair projects? 10 How do you make a water turbine project? 11 How much does it cost to install a wind turbine at home? 12 How do you make a windmill out of household items? 13 What are the 6 parts that make up a wind turbine tower? 14 How do you build a windmill to pump water? 15 How do you draw a simple windmill? 16 Can I buy a wind turbine? 17 How much oil is needed to run a wind turbine? 18 What is the height of a wind turbine? 19 How can I make a cheap wind turbine? 20 How much power can a homemade wind turbine generate? 21 Can a fan be used as a generator? 22 Is living off the grid illegal? 23 Can you make your own generator? 24 What is the cheapest way to generate electricity?

Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Wind Turbine

DIY Build your own 100 watt pvc wind turbine as a science project. Generate your own power from the wind.

I picked up a 90 VDC, 20A treadmill motor off eBay for $10 plus shipping. This motor requires an upgrade to most of the original instructions due to the increase in size and weight. It also produces a lower output voltage. The motor is better suited for a system with gearing to increase the RPM.

Building the Wind Turbine

Making a wind powered generator from scrap materials helps keep those materials out of the local dump. Most of the items you need, can be found in your local hardware store, your own garage or from one of the “Freecycle” groups in your area. . Try doing a search on Google for “freecycle” to see what parts you can pick up for free. For the wind turbine built in these pictures, we picked up the motor on eBay for $10 plus shipping and the PVC pipe for the blades from a junk pile. The tail is made from an old roller paint pan.

Project # 2 Generate Electricity from Wind Turbine – Project # 2 Generate Electricity from Wind Turbine Family Science Project Project # 2 Generate Electricity from Wind Turbine.

Video advice: How to Make Wind Turbine Generator – School Project

https://amzn.to/2vkE9gF

Using a few common things, you can make a working wind turbine with your kids and it turbine can also produce electricity. The wind turbine will generate enough alternating current, or AC, to power a small light bulb. and also charge a mobile phone with wind energy with few modifications. For testing, you will need a small electric fan to create the wind in the room.

• Wind Turbine project introduction:
• Windmill School Science Fair Project. Working Model of Wind Turbine to Generate Electricity

Science Fair Wind Generators

We have a variety of different ideas here for science project wind turbines. Some are our own, some were submitted by readers. Check them all out before you launch into a project!

To provide a working model of a permanent magnet alternator (PMA) that could be SAFELY actuated by kids, teachers, parents, etc. . For this reason no prop blades will be placed on the rotor, fearing injury to young fingers, etc. Rotation of the rotor can be acomplished using a crank handle instead.

Here’s another very interesting science fair wind turbine design

This article is an update of DanF’s original article, still found at the bottom of this page. This update was originally printed in the November 2005 issue of the Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter. From Anita: Dear Mr. Windbag: I’m a high-school student and have a class assignment on renewable energy. We have all semester to build and test a project that saves energy or makes energy, and we have to document our results. I’m really interested in wind power, and I’d like to build small wind turbine that will light up a light bulb. Where do I start?

How to Make WINDMILL Generator From Cardboard for Science Project at Home

How to Make WINDMILL Generator From Cardboard for Science Project at Home: Watch the video for a complete tutorial! Materials you will need--Cardboard -Green velvet paper -Black coloured pencil -Cutter -Glue gun -Wooden sticks -Tissue papers -3 watt yellow LED -200 RPM, 12 V Motor -Foldable cardboard -Scissors -Super glue.

Step 4: Stick a Cardboard Piece on the Top of These Pencils, With Measurements As Shown in the Image – Introduction: How to Make WINDMILL Generator From Cardboard for Science Project at HomeWatch the video for a complete tutorial! Materials you will need--Cardboard -Green velvet paper -Black coloured pencil -Cutter -Glue gun -Wooden sticks -Tissue papers -3 watt yellow LED -200 RPM, 12 V Motor -Foldable cardboard -Scissors -Super glueStep 1: Take a Circular Cardboard Piece of Diameter 35 Cm and Cover the Top With the Green Velvet Paper. Step 2: Using the Cutter, Cut the Black Coloured Pencil As Shown. Step 3: Glue the Cut Pencils to the Velvet Paper As Shown. Also, Apply Glue to the Tip of These Pencils. Step 4: Stick a Cardboard Piece on the Top of These Pencils, With Measurements As Shown in the Image. Step 5: Follow the Images Shown to Make Cardboard Cutouts of the Measurements Given in Them, and Place Them As Shown. Step 6: Use the Cardboard and Wooden Sticks to Form the Window, Door and Staircase As Shown. Stick Tissue Paper Behind the Window. Step 7: Take Cardboard Pieces of the Given Measurements to Form a Box, and Make Holes As Shown.

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Make Your Own Miniature Wind Turbine

Wind power is one of the fastest-growing energy sources in the world. With this quick project by Michael Arquin of the KidWind Project, young engineers can build a working turbine in just a couple of hours.

1. Snake the motor’s wires down the 24-inch PVC pipe; this long section is the tower. 2. Attach the nacelle to the top of the tower; tap it into place so that it fits securely. 3. Thread the wires through the center PVC tee and out of the drilled hole at the base of the tower. 4. Secure the tower to the tee. 5. Attach alligator clips to exposed wires.

Renewable energy is the wind beneath our turbine blades. Over the past few years, wind power has been among the fastest growing sources of energy in the world. Learn how to capture the airstream’s gusting force with this rugged PVC turbine design by Michael Arquin, founder of the KidWind Project. This exploratory project teaches engineering and modeling and—to make it age- and skill-appropriate—can be scaled up or down in complexity to create more or less electricity, as well as to demonstrate concepts such as energy transformation and blade efficiencies. Get ready to be blown away.

Make the Wind Work for You!

Aerodynamics Science Fair Project: Investigate which wind turbine rotor blade design is the most aerodynamic and therefore, produces the most energy.

Now that you’ve cut the top off of the 1-L bottle, fill it with your marbles. This makes the tower very heavy on the bottom so that the fan doesn’t blow it over later when you test the rotors. Also, this way the bottle is both the tower and the foundation because it holds the rest of the turbine up, and it stays firmly on the ground.

• Terms and Concepts
• Bibliography
• Building the Wind Turbine Assembly
• Building the Rotor Assembly
• Building the Axle and Completing the Nacelle
• Testing the Rotor Designs

Nowadays, the need for reliable sources of energy has a lot of people talking about wind power. Wind power is collected using wind turbines—tall pole structures with a machine at the top that looks like a very large fan. Instead of blowing air, however, turbines catch the air. When the wind blows, it makes the blades of the fan, called rotors, spin around, which moves the turbine on the inside and generates electricity. Basically, the wind does work on the turbine when it makes it spin. Work is an application of energy, which makes something move. The energy from the wind’s work is taken by the turbine and converted into electricity for use in homes and cities.

Use wind to power a motor and generate enough electricity to light an LED.

When testing your design, it helps to make the parts of the wind generator modular so components can be readily swapped in and out. For example, you can use alligator clip leads or hookup wire to make it easier to change the LED if you are testing different load devices. Can you design an easy way to test different wind blades?

• Video Demonstration
• Tools and Materials
• To Do and Notice
• What’s Going On?
• Going Further
• Teaching Tips
• Related Snacks

Build a simple wind generator

A generator is a device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy. This is the opposite of how a motor works, which uses electricity to create motion. This activity uses a hobby motor in reverse to create an electric current. By attaching blades to the motor, wind can be used to provide mechanical energy to the motor so that it works like a generator and supplies electricity. This electrical output could be measured with a multimeter, but an LED provides an easy readout that shows power is being generated. This simple wind generator is a model for wind turbines used to generate electricity around the world. Though they operate on a larger scale, they use the same physical principles to convert wind energy to electricity.

How to make a wind turbine for a school project?

A wind turbine entirely relies on wind energy to create electric energy. Here is an answer on how to make one for your school project.

A wind turbine entirely relies on wind energy to create electric energy. This makes it an environmental-friendly method of producing power. And an excellent choice for your school project. In the following post, we’ll take you through an easy to comprehend, step-by-step guide on how to come up with a working model of the windmill for your school project.

Things You’ll Need:Step #1: Building the rotorGrab the large piece of cardboard and cut out 4 circle pieces, around 3cm diameter each. Stick all the circles together with the help of glue to make one thick circle. Now take a thin paper and wrap (glue) it around the thick circle you have obtained above, ensuring it properly fits the circle, lengthwise and widthwise. Step #2: Building the bladesCut up to 4 rectangular pieces from the large cardboard, each measuring 8cm X 2. 5cm. Cut out one edge of pieces so that they form a round shape to enable you to easily glue them to the rotor you have just made above. You’ll also need to slightly bend all the 4 pieces along the middle so that they appear somewhat rounded, just like the blades on a typical home wind turbine kit. Glue all the 4 blades to your rotor and leave them to dry out. Step #3: Building the towerAs the blades take time to dry, you can focus on making the tower which will elevate the rotor up. Go back to your large piece of cardboard and cut out a thin portion of it, measuring 30cm x 12cm.

Video advice: How to make working model of a wind turbine from cardboard

Hi, in this video I show you how to make a wind turbine model from cardboard. For blowing the air I use a stand fan here.

How do you make a windmill for a science project?

Steps to follow:

• Step #1: Building the rotor. Grab the large piece of cardboard and cut out 4 circle pieces, around 3cm diameter each. ...
• Step #2: Building the blades. ...
• Step #3: Building the tower. ...
• Step #4: Mounting the motor. ...
• Step #5: Building the house. ...
• Step #6: Connecting the light. ...
• Step #5: Get the turbine turning.

How do you make a windmill generator?

0:136:58Powerful Wind Generator DIY / Free Energy / Green Energy - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAnd now we have decided to make it much bigger a giant wind turbine we have found an enormousMoreAnd now we have decided to make it much bigger a giant wind turbine we have found an enormous plastic sewer pipe in this purpose it is 200 millimetres diameter.

How do you make a windmill for a school project?

Insert a wooden skewer through the straw so it can rotate freely. Towards the end of the straw, tape one end of a piece of string to the straw. Tie or tape the other end of the string to a paperclip. Hold the ends of the wooden skewer and blow on the sails of your windmill model.

How do you make a windmill STEM project?

How do you make a mini wind turbine generator science project.

0:326:19Easy DIY wind turbine | Light Wind - Science Snack activity - YouTubeYouTube.

Related Articles:

• How To Make Windmill Project For Science Projects
• How To Build A Wind Turbine Generator Science Project
• How To Build A Vex Robotics Windmill
• What Is Electric Generator In Physics
• Can You Run A Space Heater On A Generator
• Do It Yourself Dna Science Project

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Wind Turbine Science Kit

How do we solve the modern energy crisis? The answer may be blowing in the wind! Use this science-fair friendly kit to build your very own wind turbine & discover how it works!   More Info

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How do we solve the modern energy crisis? The answer may be blowing in the wind! Use this science-fair friendly kit to build your very own wind turbine & discover how it works! More Info

DESCRIPTION

How can the breeze blowing across your face become the power that lights your home? Since wind is unpredictable, can we rely on it to operate machines? Answer these questions and more with this build your own wind turbine kit for students in middle school or high school.

This hands-on science set is excellent for developing a science fair experiment or school project, or for exploring just for fun! You'll get to build your own model wind turbine or windmill, investigate how it works, and see it create and store power. 

Here's just some of what you can do with this diy wind turbine kit for students:

• harness energy to make a colored light glow or motor spin
• work with wind turbine generators & electrical circuits
• find out how a super-capacitor stores wind energy like a battery
• design and test your own wind turbine blades

This Build Your Own Wind Turbine Kit for Students:

• Offers a complete wind turbine science fair project
• Contains everything to design, test & analyze wind power
• Provides DIY fun in a one-box kit for students
• Includes an easy-to-read explanation booklet

Unlike many wind turbine science kits, ours encourages both creativity and invention! How is this wind energy kit different from other one-and-done kits? It includes four blade patterns, ideas for alternate materials, and extra experiment prompts , greatly expanding the experiment potential.

What’s included in this diy wind turbine kit for students?

• Sturdy frame: PVC pipe supported by a wooden base
• Convenient size: 14" tall for easy, indoor use
• Adjustable variables: 4 blade pattern templates & 5 sheets of cardstock
• Interesting activities: 7 experiments, plus ideas for more
• Endless options: Swap cardstock blades for other materials
• Measurable results: Digital multimeter for DC/AC voltage, DC current & resistance

Use the included digital multimeter to test different wind turbine blade designs. Measure voltage, amperage, and calculate power output. Extend experiments with included supplies: use the second motor, store electrical energy in the super-capacitor, or light three LED lamps with series and parallel electrical circuits.

What are the experiments inside?

• Simple Motor – show how a wind turbine works
• Simple Generator – generate electricity & light an LED
• Motor & Generator – use wind energy from one motor to power another
• How Much Power? – measure power output (voltage & amperage)
• Using Potential Energy – charge a capacitor & use it to power a motor
• Series & Parallel Circuits – study circuits & light up to 3 LEDs
• Double the Power? – connect two motors to the LEDs

The Wind Turbine Science Kit includes easy-to-follow instructions and supplies for seven activities. Interested in learning more? Check out our  Wind Turbine Science Kit Manual Sample !

What concepts are covered?

• What Wind Turbines Are
• How Wind Power Works
• Motors & Generators
• Practical Energy
• Further Study Ideas

Looking for a wind turbine science fair experiment kit? Read the experiment suggestions below.

Science Fair Project Ideas:

• How much wind energy can you store using the capacitor included in the kit? Measure the volts and amps using the multimeter.
• How much power can your turbine produce while outside on a windy day? Enough to light up an LED?
• Curious about renewable energy? Connect a solar cell in series or parallel circuit with the wind turbine. How much power is generated?

MORE INFORMATION BOX

CONTENTS TAB

• Wind Turbine Frame (stands approximately 14" tall), made of wooden base and PVC pipe
• Digital Multimeter (to test voltage and amperage)
• 2 DC (direct current) Electric Motors
• 2 Plastic Propellers - one for each motor
• 6 Wire Leads with Alligator Clips
• Super Capacitor (to store electrical energy)
• 5 LEDs (light-emitting diodes): red, green, and yellow
• 5 Sheets of Cardstock (to make turbine blades)
• 5 Foam Strips
• 26-page manual with 4 blade pattern templates

SCIENCE STANDARDS

• NGSS science standards alignment
• MS-ESS3-3:  Apply scientific principles to design a method for monitoring and minimizing a human impact on the environment.
• HS-ESS3-4: Evaluate or refine a technological solution that reduces impacts of human activities on natural systems.

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Make a Small Wind Turbine That Kids Can Help Build

• University of South Carolina

Masynmachien

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Instructable's user masynmachien gave us permission to share his cool DIY wind turbine project with you. This project is meant to be easy enough for older kids and adults to do without too much experience. It's a great way to brush up on your own skills or teach renewable energy basics to kids. Because these turbines are able to power LEDs and decoration is part of the fun, they would make great additions to a garden.

Masynmachien says, "For my latest workshop in my daughter’s school, I wanted to let the children each make a wind turbine. It wanted it to be functional, powering a small light, and it needed to be cheaper than 6 Euro a piece, which ruled out any commercial kits. The workshop was for 20 kids, which ruled out scavenging hard discs motors or stepper motors and such. Low cost 'toy' motors, on the other hand, need really high rpm to light up a small bulb or a led. Fortunately, the type of motors used in solar cell driven toys and kits work better. And these are still available for under 2 Euro. An LED worked with a turbine and a single step 6 to 1 gearing, but only at really high wind speeds. But I wanted the kids to see it functioning, without having to wait for a strong wind. Our good friend the Joule Thief came to the rescue. With this little circuit added, the LED lights up at a breeze. Moving the wind turbine by hand easily lights up the LED. I estimate it starts at wind speeds below 10km/h. And everything still holds up at strong winds." Since originally posting this project, masynmachien notes that he has also built these turbines with these geared motors instead of a Joule Thief.

Materials and Tools

For the turbine and tail vane: 1 piece of 2mm thick balsa 10 cm by 40 cm or 4 pieces 10 cm by 10 cm 4 bamboo (meat) skewers 30 cm long, about 3mm diameter some cellotape, at least 19mm wide superglue large gear (about 60 mm diameter, Opitec part 840088) a piece of scrap wood, 3 cm thick and about 6 cm by 6cm in size. some non-stick paper, 1 small stick of hotmelt glue (low temp type when working with kids) a cabinet screw with an unthreaded part, fitting loosely the gear hole (4mm for the gear mentioned above), about 35 mm long. A brass screw will last longer in humid conditions, I found out screws with a nominal diameter equal to the gear hole, actually fit loosely. 4 washers fitting the screw paint and varnish (optional) For the generator: a “solar grade” toy motor with 7cm leads (FF 130 “solar motor”, Opitec part 224176 works great, but needs leads to be soldered to the motor. The RF 300, Opitec 224154, comes with leads, but is less resistant to rain) a small pinion gear of the same module as the large gear (Opitec 841187 with adapter 842022) a (steel spring) clamp fitting the motor/generator (Opitec 225074) a 25 mm long bolt and nut. I choose M3, allowing for all drilling to be done with a 3 mm bit. For the Joule Thief: a ferrite toroid (e.g. Conrad 507997 or 508039) a 2N3904, BC 337 or equivalent transistor a 1kOhm resistor 1 to 3 LEDs (the clear ones are easiest to see lighting up in sunlight) 2 times 20 cm of insulated thin gauge electrical wire (twisted strands from telephone or network cable are perfect) 5 small cabinet screws, preferably brass (more durable contact). I choose shortest 3 mm diameter ones I found, allowing for all drilling to be done with a 3 mm bit. For the mast: a 27 cm piece of 20mm diameter PVC electrical tube a 75 cm to 1 m long piece of 16 mm PVC electrical tube 2 tie-wraps (pretty small ones are OK) a marble Tools: a junior hacksaw a flat working surface (theoretically 31 by 31 cm, but take double to work with some comfort) a hotmelt gun (low temp type when working with kids) a drill (preferably column-type) and a 3mm drill bit screwdrivers fitting the screws and bolts used some templates can be made out of scrap wood as explained in the following steps

Making the turbine blades

The turbine blades are made by sawing three of the balsa squares as shown. Keeping the turbine very light makes it very forgiving for inaccuracy’s and unbalance, but to help make the blades all the same size, I did make sawing templates. Three of the skewers are cut in half (it is a good idea to cut of a couple of mm of the sharp point, to limit the risk of anyone hurting herself or himself). Take care of the grain of the wood. It should be close to perpendicular to the cut, or the blades will break easily. The forth square and skewer are kept aside for the tail vane. With some cellotape the skewers are provisionally attached to the blades as shown. The assembly is laid down on some anti-stick paper and some superglue is run in the joint, (something I do myself for the younger kids). When the glue has set the rest of the tape is bent over and attached. Now is a good time to decorate the blades.

Turbine construction

The 3 x 6 x6 cm piece of scrap wood is prepared with a top of anti-stick paper and a central hole. With a small screw the large gear is attached to it. A washer is put in between to keep some distance from the hub, when the skewers are pushed in between as shown. With the skewers evenly distributed under the holes, tighten the screw just enough to keep them in place when the assembly is on the table. Make sure all the blades are pointing the same direction (clockwise or counter clockwise) and touch the flat working surface with their tip. This is obviously very important to get a good angle. Now, pour hotmelt glue in the hole, taking care not to spill any on the gear's teeth (see how a piece of scrap cardboard can be used the help prevent that). Check if all blades are in the right position and let the glue set, before removing the screw. You might want to reinforce the glued connection on the other side, but to my experience that is not needed unless the turbine is accidently dropped or something like that.

The 27 cm piece of 20mm diameter PVC tube is prepared to be the central “support” onto which all other parts are attached. This means first some drilling has to be done. All holes are 3 mm Only one hole needs to be in an accurate position from one other, the others holes are not critical. First the hole for the motor/generator mount is drilled about 5 cm from and goes completely through. The motor/generator mount is attached with a bolt and nut. There's a little trick to that: first the mount is attached hand tight, with the curve of the metal following the curve of the tube. When it is twisted to its final position the spring metal provides tension, locking the assembly into place. Now comes the critical hole. It needs to be drilled perpendicular to the first one, and at a distance along the tube determined by the gears and motor/generator used (18 mm with the Opitec parts mentioned above). The motor/generator mount can be bent a little to adjust for small errors, but taking care with this drilling will avoid this. Therefore a template fitting the tube and motor/generator mount was made as shown. This hole goes completely through also. Now five holes are drilled near the top of the tube, roughly in the pattern shown. These holes need only to go through the tube wall once (don't worry if they go through completely). I adapted the template to help positioning these holes, but that was an overshoot.

The generator Joule Thief 1

The basics of making a Joule Thief are described in a number of Ibles, so I won’t go into detail, but stick to explaining the solderless construction used here. It is helpful to check out the circuit at Evil Mad Scientist to have some idea of what connections you are making. Obviously the motor/generator replaces the battery. Prepare the double wound toroid by coiling the pair of twisted wires. Four to five windings should do it. Loosen the wire ends and put two opposite ends back together (twist them together for now). Put the pinion gear onto the motor/generator and put it in the clamp as show (pinion facing the other side than the five holes pattern).

The generator Joule Thief 2

The electrical connections are made by inserting the right wire ends in the pattern of five holes and fixing them with the small brass screws. Not only is this an alternative for soldering, we also do not need to strip the wire. The thread of the screws cuts right through it, making the connection. If you are not sure which one is the positive one, just go ahead and check for what rotating direction the LED lights up after finishing all connections. Switch the motor leads after step 7 if it happens to be the wrong direction. At the workshop it showed the first insertion of the screw was difficult when connecting more than two wires. This is easy to solve by enlarging the hole slightly with a bradawl. To test it after assembly, turn the pinion gear quickly as shown in the video in the introduction. You might need to check both directions of rotation to find one working.

Mounting the turbine

Put in the axle screw in the turbine gear from the side of the blades. With 4 washers in between screw it in the tube, taking care the gear aligns with the pinion on the motor/generator. Again, slightly enlarging the hole with bradawl might help. When the screw reaches the second hole, on the other side of the tube, take care to guide it nicely through the hole, or the gear will not be angled correctly. Check if it runs smoothly and adjust. The gears should have a fairly loose grip on each other. Check if the LEDs light up by moving the assembly through the air by hand (as shown in the video in the introduction). Again, check the other direction if the first one does not work. The correct direction of rotation is the one with the turbine facing downwind from the tube. If it only works the other way around, switch the motor/generator leads.

Glue one end of the 30 cm skewer to the last 10 by 10 cm balsa square, taking care of the direction of the grain of the wood. The skewer should be glued across the grain of the wood, protecting the balsa from snapping along the grain. Attach the other end of the skewer to the bottom of the tube with two tie-wraps in cross. Align the tail vane in such a way that it keeps the turbine facing down wind.

Installing and ideas for improvements

Put a marble on the top of this tube and slide on the turbine assembly. The axle screw inside the tube, resting on the marble provides a bearing for the turbine to turn smoothly into the wind. Obviously the wind turbine should be positioned vertically for that. This basic junior wind turbine works well, but can use some improvements. One idea is to in weather proof all electrical connections with something like Plasti Dip. Do not worry about the motor/generator to much. Most toy motors resist rain quite well. To make sure you can put some grease to the axle and all openings. Varnishing the blades or replacing them with plastic sheet and possibly also the skewers will make it more durable. Although the bamboo skewers and balsa keep quite well. A furling tail vane could turn the turbine out of too strong winds. A classic furling vane mechanism with counterweight should not be too difficult to make. A bearing that keeps the turbine attached to the long tube could be helpful in strong winds. A longer 20mm diameter tube would help already. Another idea is to put the marble on a large screw inserted in a plug into the top of the 16 mm diameter tube. Then a small screw is inserted through the wall of the outer tube, locking just under the head of the large screw. An alternative attachment/bearing with a phone untangler could allow for the generated power to be transferred to an application separated from the rotating turbine. Another idea is to store the energy in a rechargeable battery, to power the LED(s) at windless evenings.

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Teachers are Terrific

Building Windmills in the STEM Lab

February 15, 2017 by Carol Davis

When planning for new STEM projects I always had an idea for building a windmill. There are also many parts to this project- let’s dive right in!

Building windmills is something I wanted to try and so, we did!

So, just imagine for a second, challenging your students to create something that turns…   Let me clarify…turning by using the wind. In the STEM Lab, we make our own wind with a fan! I have two different sizes of fans that we use in the lab when we need to create air movement.

“ In this post, for your convenience, you may find Amazon Affiliate links to resources. This means that Amazon will pass on small percentages to me with your purchase of items. This will not create extra costs for you at all! It will help me keep this blog running! “

What was I thinking?

When I am inventing a new challenge, the first thing I do is make a list of materials. Often, I build a model myself to see what I might need. Does this always work?

Well, no. I often add materials that I think will work and my test class helps me discover I am wrong! 🙂 Let’s explore my thinking about building windmills!

I really thought a bobbin would work for building windmills…

Since we have completed projects similar to this in the past I knew what the biggest problem was going to be! The turning part.

It works very much like the axle of a wheel and I knew how hard that tends to be. So, I tried really hard to think of all kinds of things the students could use for that center turning mechanism that would also have the blades of the windmill attached to it. In the photos can you see what the blades are attached to?

It’s a sewing machine bobbin! I really thought these would work great! The center is rather small but that can be a good thing. A straw threaded through the hole in the center and then attached to the windmill seemed like a perfect solution. Except, also look at the photo above. Too much tape! It kept the blades from turning around. 

Another item we tried for building windmills was a wooden disc. We drill a hole through the center and it was large enough for a straw.

The discs were also large enough that the blades of the windmill could be easily attached. That was one of the problems the bobbins created! They were not big enough to allow the blades to fit!

TIP : One thing that helped students visualize what the turning part of a windmill would be is to think about a ceiling fan. Students talked about ceiling fans as they built these windmills. I heard them say things like, “Our fan in the house only has five flat parts (blades), so we don’t need fifteen of these!” (Take a look at the photo above with all those thin, tiny blades!)

The blades had to have a fold or scoop or bent part to work! (I thought)

The blades were so fun! Students came up with so many ways to make these. On the left above you see a team that made cone shapes in many colors. It looked fabulous, but it turned out to be heavy. Surprisingly it worked really well! Also, on the left, a team used lightweight copy paper folded to make a scoop that could catch air. We learned very quickly that a flat piece of paper for a blade did not work at all. It had to have a fold, scoop, or shape to it to catch the air and turn. Take a look at the one on the right. It was very cute, but the flat paper blades did not work! (I was right about that!)

Again, it was the ceiling fan discussions that led students to decide that flat blades are okay, but they must be angled .

The bright pink one worked really well. The wooden disc in the center had a straw through it that was threaded through a hole in the windmill tube. It went all the way through the tube and was secured on the back, but it was still able to turn. The blades had a little fold in them that caught air.

While part of this team worked on the blade, another team member drew all those stripes with markers. 🙂

The orange one has nice large blades with a slight bend. However, the base would not support the weight of those blades. The green one has a great axle going through the center of the structure but, sadly, those skinny little blades would not turn at all.

Here is a little video we put together with all the projects. (You can see some turning blades!)

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Windmill School Project

Introduction: Windmill School Project

Working model of windmill is a common science project given in class 6 and above. The idea is to explain conversion of energy from one form to another. Usually parents are the ones dealing with the dilemma of making it and end up buying the whole project from local electronic or project making shops. Buying the project kills the whole idea of giving the project in the first place, which is to encourage children to learn while making something.

Others commit a very innocent mistake of attaching motor fixed with fan to the battery cell and end up making a fan run on battery instead of a windmill.

We at projectsforschool.com make this daunting task easy by providing all the material and instruction manual to make an easy windmill.

Material required

Plastic fan

Motor (6v or above)

Wooden board

Wooden pole to mount motor

Connecting wire

How it works

When the wind passes through the blades, the blades experience a lift due to the aerodynamic airfoil shape. Due to the lift produced, the blades move and start rotating. The yaw unit aligns it towards the incoming wind direction when the winds change. The rotation of the blades is transmitted through the gear train and couplings to the generator that generates electricity. The electricity is then transmitted through the wires to the storage batteries or directly to the grid.

Instructions to make

• Mount the motor onto the wooden stick or which ever material you are going to use to make the pole.
• Make sure the motor is secured tightly with cello tape. Next place the pole onto the wooden plank or base support material you are going to use. We @projectsforschool.com use ply board as its strong and easily available.
• Cut the connecting wire into two pieces and remove the insulation from the connecting wire.
• Loop in resistor to the terminal in the motor and attach one of the connecting wire to the resistor and other connecting wire to the terminal.
• Next attach LED terminals to both the ends of the connecting wire.

You have just finished your project. Now simply rotate the fan at a very high speed to see if the LED lights up. I have a shared a link of a youtube video to help you finish a working school science project and how it works. How to rotate the fan for LED to light up

Remember Me

Shop Experiment Wind Turbine Output: The Effect of Load Experiments​

Wind turbine output: the effect of load.

Experiment #4 from Investigating Wind Energy

Introduction

A load is a device that uses electricity to do work or perform a job when connected to a circuit. A light bulb is an example of a load. If a light bulb is connected to the wind turbine, the electricity generated by the generator can do the work of lighting the light bulb.

Sometimes it is useful to control the flow of electrons in a circuit. An example of a time when it is important to control the flow of electrons is when you are using a generator like the one in your wind turbine. Generators are designed to produce the most power when a very specific amount of load is connected to the circuit.

One way to create the optimal load for the generator in your wind turbine is to connect multiple light bulbs to the circuit. While this would work, it is not very practical to always carry a bunch of light bulbs around with you!

Instead, you will use a device called a resistor to add load to the circuit. Resistors are used to control the flow of electrons in a circuit. Resistors are rated based on how much resistance they add to the circuit. Resistance is measured in units of ohms.

In this experiment, you will experiment to find the optimal resistance for the generator in your wind turbine.

• Measure current, potential difference (voltage), and power output of a wind turbine with a Vernier Energy Sensor.
• Explore how current, potential difference (voltage), and power output vary depending on the resistance (load) in the circuit.
• Investigate the relationship between optimal resistance and maximum power output.

Sensors and Equipment

This experiment features the following sensors and equipment. Additional equipment may be required.

Ready to Experiment?

Ask an expert.

Get answers to your questions about how to teach this experiment with our support team.

• Call toll-free: 888-837-6437
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• Email [email protected]

Purchase the Lab Book

This experiment is #4 of Investigating Wind Energy . The experiment in the book includes student instructions as well as instructor information for set up, helpful hints, and sample graphs and data.

Suggestions or feedback?

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MIT engineers’ new theory could improve the design and operation of wind farms

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The blades of propellers and wind turbines are designed based on aerodynamics principles that were first described mathematically more than a century ago. But engineers have long realized that these formulas don’t work in every situation. To compensate, they have added ad hoc “correction factors” based on empirical observations.

Now, for the first time, engineers at MIT have developed a comprehensive, physics-based model that accurately represents the airflow around rotors even under extreme conditions, such as when the blades are operating at high forces and speeds, or are angled in certain directions. The model could improve the way rotors themselves are designed, but also the way wind farms are laid out and operated. The new findings are described today in the journal Nature Communications , in an open-access paper by MIT postdoc Jaime Liew, doctoral student Kirby Heck, and Michael Howland, the Esther and Harold E. Edgerton Assistant Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

“We’ve developed a new theory for the aerodynamics of rotors,” Howland says. This theory can be used to determine the forces, flow velocities, and power of a rotor, whether that rotor is extracting energy from the airflow, as in a wind turbine, or applying energy to the flow, as in a ship or airplane propeller. “The theory works in both directions,” he says.

Because the new understanding is a fundamental mathematical model, some of its implications could potentially be applied right away. For example, operators of wind farms must constantly adjust a variety of parameters, including the orientation of each turbine as well as its rotation speed and the angle of its blades, in order to maximize power output while maintaining safety margins. The new model can provide a simple, speedy way of optimizing those factors in real time.

“This is what we’re so excited about, is that it has immediate and direct potential for impact across the value chain of wind power,” Howland says.

Modeling the momentum

Known as momentum theory, the previous model of how rotors interact with their fluid environment — air, water, or otherwise — was initially developed late in the 19th century. With this theory, engineers can start with a given rotor design and configuration, and determine the maximum amount of power that can be derived from that rotor — or, conversely, if it’s a propeller, how much power is needed to generate a given amount of propulsive force.

Momentum theory equations “are the first thing you would read about in a wind energy textbook, and are the first thing that I talk about in my classes when I teach about wind power,” Howland says. From that theory, physicist Albert Betz calculated in 1920 the maximum amount of energy that could theoretically be extracted from wind. Known as the Betz limit, this amount is 59.3 percent of the kinetic energy of the incoming wind.

But just a few years later, others found that the momentum theory broke down “in a pretty dramatic way” at higher forces that correspond to faster blade rotation speeds or different blade angles, Howland says. It fails to predict not only the amount, but even the direction of changes in thrust force at higher rotation speeds or different blade angles: Whereas the theory said the force should start going down above a certain rotation speed or blade angle, experiments show the opposite — that the force continues to increase. “So, it’s not just quantitatively wrong, it’s qualitatively wrong,” Howland says.

The theory also breaks down when there is any misalignment between the rotor and the airflow, which Howland says is “ubiquitous” on wind farms, where turbines are constantly adjusting to changes in wind directions. In fact, in an  earlier paper in 2022, Howland and his team found that deliberately misaligning some turbines slightly relative to the incoming airflow within a wind farm significantly improves the overall power output of the wind farm by reducing wake disturbances to the downstream turbines.

In the past, when designing the profile of rotor blades, the layout of wind turbines in a farm, or the day-to-day operation of wind turbines, engineers have relied on ad hoc adjustments added to the original mathematical formulas, based on some wind tunnel tests and experience with operating wind farms, but with no theoretical underpinnings.

Instead, to arrive at the new model, the team analyzed the interaction of airflow and turbines using detailed computational modeling of the aerodynamics. They found that, for example, the original model had assumed that a drop in air pressure immediately behind the rotor would rapidly return to normal ambient pressure just a short way downstream. But it turns out, Howland says, that as the thrust force keeps increasing, “that assumption is increasingly inaccurate.”

And the inaccuracy occurs very close to the point of the Betz limit that theoretically predicts the maximum performance of a turbine — and therefore is just the desired operating regime for the turbines. “So, we have Betz’s prediction of where we should operate turbines, and within 10 percent of that operational set point that we think maximizes power, the theory completely deteriorates and doesn’t work,” Howland says.

Through their modeling, the researchers also found a way to compensate for the original formula’s reliance on a one-dimensional modeling that assumed the rotor was always precisely aligned with the airflow. To do so, they used fundamental equations that were developed to predict the lift of three-dimensional wings for aerospace applications.

The researchers derived their new model, which they call a unified momentum model, based on theoretical analysis, and then validated it using computational fluid dynamics modeling. In followup work not yet published, they are doing further validation using wind tunnel and field tests.

Fundamental understanding

One interesting outcome of the new formula is that it changes the calculation of the Betz limit, showing that it’s possible to extract a bit more power than the original formula predicted. Although it’s not a significant change — on the order of a few percent — “it’s interesting that now we have a new theory, and the Betz limit that’s been the rule of thumb for a hundred years is actually modified because of the new theory,” Howland says. “And that’s immediately useful.” The new model shows how to maximize power from turbines that are misaligned with the airflow, which the Betz limit cannot account for.

The aspects related to controlling both individual turbines and arrays of turbines can be implemented without requiring any modifications to existing hardware in place within wind farms. In fact, this has already happened, based on earlier work from Howland and his collaborators two years ago that dealt with the wake interactions between turbines in a wind farm, and was based on the existing, empirically based formulas.

“This breakthrough is a natural extension of our previous work on optimizing utility-scale wind farms,” he says, because in doing that analysis, they saw the shortcomings of the existing methods for analyzing the forces at work and predicting power produced by wind turbines. “Existing modeling using empiricism just wasn’t getting the job done,” he says.

In a wind farm, individual turbines will sap some of the energy available to neighboring turbines, because of wake effects. Accurate wake modeling is important both for designing the layout of turbines in a wind farm, and also for the operation of that farm, determining moment to moment how to set the angles and speeds of each turbine in the array.

Until now, Howland says, even the operators of wind farms, the manufacturers, and the designers of the turbine blades had no way to predict how much the power output of a turbine would be affected by a given change such as its angle to the wind without using empirical corrections. “That’s because there was no theory for it. So, that’s what we worked on here. Our theory can directly tell you, without any empirical corrections, for the first time, how you should actually operate a wind turbine to maximize its power,” he says.

Because the fluid flow regimes are similar, the model also applies to propellers, whether for aircraft or ships, and also for hydrokinetic turbines such as tidal or river turbines. Although they didn’t focus on that aspect in this research, “it’s in the theoretical modeling naturally,” he says.

The new theory exists in the form of a set of mathematical formulas that a user could incorporate in their own software, or as an open-source software package that can be freely downloaded from GitHub . “It’s an engineering model developed for fast-running tools for rapid prototyping and control and optimization,” Howland says. “The goal of our modeling is to position the field of wind energy research to move more aggressively in the development of the wind capacity and reliability necessary to respond to climate change.”

The work was supported by the National Science Foundation and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy.

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