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.
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.
Something to keep in mind is that the power output of The Zoetrope is specifically tailored to the site where it is located and the application for which it is being used. Water heating is a cumulative process that can accommodate wide fluctuations in power and voltage. This is ideal since the site can routinely experience 25m/s (60mph) wind gusts. Putting that potential energy to use without burning up the stator means lower efficiency in light wind as a trade-off. During limited testing, power outputs of 150-200 watts were observed, but with a unidirectional anemometer and varying load resistance, those numbers are definitely approximations. The "official high" sustained wind speed during the testing period was 9m/s (20mph). In building your own turbine for your own application, you could tailor it to get better low speed performance than The Zoetrope.
How much power does it produce?
As with all wind turbines, the power output depends on how fast the wind is moving (and many other factors). Many commercial turbines like to state their absolute maximum power rating before they fail or begin "braking", despite the reality that they would only produce that amount of power in a typhoon.
How much does it cost to build?
That depends on the tools and materials you may already have, the current price of magnets, the place where you live and many other factors.
You should have done this or that to make it better/more efficient/more attractive.
We hear that quite a bit. First, that is not a question. Second, ponder for a moment the concept of having a limited budget and limited time to execute a project. Now reflect on the generosity and kindness it took to make the things that were learned during that project publicly available for free.
- The original Zoetrope design used PVC pipe for the blades. They were much too heavy and were later replaced with galvanized steel sheet material.
- Even though horizontal-axis wind turbines are more efficient, the place at which the Zoetrope is located has wind conditions that are not amenable to that design.
- The blades were shortened after a period of initial testing. Even though smaller blades provide less power, the longer ones had some harmonic resonance issues.