In the mail today arrived the 36 page schedule/flyer for this year’s SolarFest. Based on the three I’ve been to in the past, this should be an excellent time as well. There are plenty of workshops, live music, and great vendors who have either made their own wares or are willing to share lots of […]
Continue ReadingSun Curve is a project for schools to help kids learn about solar energy, wind, biology and natural systems exhibiting at Maker Faire. The Sun Curve uses Open Educational Resources to support their curriculum.
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[Photo from Connors934 on Flickr] For this final installment of our Make: Green series, we look at a promising technology for generating electricity: wind turbines. A wind turbine consists of a propeller, a generator, and either an inverter or storage system. The propeller is essentially two or more airfoils attached to a hub. When the […]
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What better way to celebrate Earth Day than with a flashback to some clean, green wind-powered goodness. Back in MAKE Volume 05, Abe and Josie Connally shared a detailed DIY on how to make their Chispito Wind Generator (Spanish for “little spark”). The Connallys are knee deep in creating an off-grid homestead in Mexico, and […]
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Here’s the simplest design I’ve found for my favorite type of turbine. Check out Otherpower for a discussion on sourcing suitable motors, and see Makezine’s plans for the Chispito for a traditional blade design.
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Brian sends this about The Back Shed, a great site with info about windmills and renewable energy. There is an excellent page about getting started with windmills. Particularly interesting isthe project for converting junker computer parts and pvc into a wind powered battery charger. Home made wind generators have been around for decades, with designs […]
Continue ReadingThis wind-driven sculpture is by Jeffery Laudenslager – I love the shapes it makes and how it plays with perspective. The sound of the ocean is really peaceful, too.
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