Wind Generator Made From Automotive Alternator

Wind Generator Made From Automotive Alternator ENERGY Wind Power 27-5-11 Robert Vargo made a cheap wind generator by using a car alternator and large fan. It's big enough to power his electric water heater. "Alternators produce 110-volt AC current and then convert it to 12-volt DC," he points out. "I tapped into the 110-volt current and run that directly to the water heater." He mounted the simple generator on top of his house. "I used a 100-amp alternator that you could find at a junkyard for about $25. The base was made from scrap angle iron." He says newer alternators usually put out more than 100 amps, but the older ones are easier to find and less expensive, and they're easier to mount, too. If you have an old automotive generator, you could use that and put the 12-volt DC power through an inverter to change it to 110-volt AC. He says older alternators with a regular V-belt need a wind speed of 10 mph or more to keep the current flowing, but the new ones, with serpentine belts, can maintain a 110-volt output at speeds of less than 10 mph. If you're going to put together a homemade generating system, Vargo suggests putting a regulator on the alternator so it kicks off when the fan speed slows too much to maintain a constant 110-volt output. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Robert J. Vargo, 2678 110th St., Apt. 1A, Luck, Wis. 54853 (ph 715 472-8043).

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