Turn a ceiling fan into a wind turbine generator?!

A ceiling fan looks similar to a wind turbine, so one may wonder if it can be used as such. Most ceiling fans are induction motors, that don't generate electricity when being turned. You will have to add magnets. That and many other points are dealt with in this experiment. The goal of this video is to learn how stuff works, and to help everybody who wants to try this conversion themselves. I hope you can learn from my experiment, and make a better version.

Giesbert Nijhuis

[alien]

Hello Giesbert Nijhuis: I've been an electrical engineer for 20 years, And I have some advise for improving the function and efficiency of your ceiling fan turned wind turbine.
1st: I like to say you have a firm foundation for creating your own free energy device. I believe that you're on the right track with this project.
2nd: I think that You needed to Keep those inner coils so that you could use them as a magnetic governor, to prevent over speeding the turbine, and thus keeping the raw input voltage from getting too high. "A simple 10 Mega-ohm power resistor" across the inner coils, would provide a semi-regulated load. and thus cause enough rotational resistance, to prevent an over speed event. A wire wound Variable resistor, or a rheostat used, instead of a straight resistor, would allow you to adjust the governor strength by adjusting the the inductive current flow caused by your magnets acting on the inner coils. Changing the resistance will in turn change the inductive load. allowing the turbine to spin faster or slower, depending on the load resistance on the inner coils. This is how to keep this wind turbine from frying your step down circuit(s) which will fail before anything connected to it will. Your power regulator, and DC converter are the weak links here. But if you can regulate the raw input voltage from your coils before it even gets to your power circuits, that weakness will be a non-issue.
3rd and finally: I would suggest some sort of storage medium, like a battery or Capacitor bank. this will further assist you in regard to voltage regulation. Just make sure the voltage capacity of either your battery and/or Capacitor bank is not exceeded by the input voltage. The storage medium will also allow a you to have power buffer to keep your devices running, while there is a low wind situation.

[josephveedock]

Although you weren't satisfied with your final results, you made a very useful presentation here. Kudos!

[martinbrandt]

your commentary and pronunciation is perfect, clear, concise and at a rate one can follow. Thank you.

[JT-ufpg]

a word of thanks to you. never sell yourself short. as many of us here watched your presentation it was well understood, not boring at all. you may not believe it your system works as well as any other devices out there. keep sharing your knowledge with the world, we are listening. there will always be room for improvement in anything man does. do not stop,

[jvsonyt]

I've learned more about electricity in this 15 minute video than I ever have in school. I've always heard the terms and definitions, but seeing them in practice really glued together my understanding.

[sibusisosbu]

The ideas, the effort, the investment of your time, energy and money all makes you a valuable human being. I learnt a lot from your video and rate it high

[ronnietea]

This is awesome! This is what YouTube should be used for. Great effort! Just think of what we could accomplish if we all shared ideas and worked together!

[yuglesstube]

Interesting! There's a guy in Far North Queensland who converts induction motors into generators by milling out the rotor and installing magnets. His rectification system is basically identical to yours in architecture. We are using one of his systems at work. The machine is driven by a PTO and the output at full speed exceeds 2000W, at approx 110v. The DC current feeds into a Victron Solar Charge Controller (MPPT), which charges a large battery bank. Replacing a truck alternator, the system has proved more reliable, more powerful, and far more suitable for battery charging. Its also quieter. Thanks for your video!

[kameliore]

This is the content that should be on my Recommended.

[billchitwood]

I must say for your first time that is very impressive. Your demonstration was well presented and truthful. It gives food for thought. Thank you and don't stop. Thinking outside the box is what makes great Inventions. It provides opportunity for someone else. Sorry I have nothing to add as far as technical advice. But I have learned a very old motor that I have been saving is a prime candidate for a generator. What you showed me kept me from wasting my time on the other type of motor.

[kenneth]

learned more from this 14 minute video than in 2 years of electrical engineering

[thatautogarage]

Extremely simple but well thought out and executed, good job sir!

[jimcarpenter]

Outstanding video. The substance, pacing, and tone are spot on. Well done!

[AutoTechTeacher]

I really enjoyed this honest and exploratory and informative video. Please post an update when you get one.

[mjstip]

This was a great video. Informative and you, the host, are quite charming. I appreciate your straightforward and honest approach. No bluster. No hype. It was great! I'm a fan.

[KaylaJoyGunn]

Many thousands of people have had your idea. You actually put it to the test. Thanks for convincing me not to try this with the broken fan I found at the dump!

[plentyworder]

This video was very helpful. I’ve never taken on a project like this. I’m now more confident I can do the same with this hvac blower. The copper strands are very nice. Thank you so much

[amali]

I respect the fact your conclusion was unbiased. You tried an idea and you concluded other alternative approaches might be better.. Look forward to see the alternative options here.

[isongabatai]

Great job, I'm watching it over and over to learn from what you have done. So informative.

[imjeffvaderofficial]

I expected an assertive Persian face and voice whenever the text "Full Bridge Rectifier" was about to appear on screen.