Here you will find e-books on a variety of subjects...all with the "poor man's" perspective. I'm always working on new ways of doing things.
July 6, 2007 (Press Release) --
So, you're looking into Renewable Energy (RE) and it's brought you here. There are only a few books out there right now that talk about RE and none of them talk about how to do it on "the cheap" and still keep it simple. There are some great wind turbine do it yourself books that talk about hand carving blades out of wood and how to make your own generator from scratch. This includes even winding your own coils, welding , etc. But still, this is cheap but not very simple.
I believe there is too much waste in the world right now. I love the concept of taking something labeled as "junk" and making it new again. I hate to see batteries go to scrap when it is easy to get some more life out of them. Imagine all that lead and sulfuric acid has to go somewhere and I'm always afraid it will impact the environment or the water supply.
I wrote this book for the thrifty person and the "recycler". Someone who wants to get started into renewable energy and not break the bank in the process. Someone who hates to see scrap sit around and go to waste. Someone who wants to become independent from the grid and help the environment. Some people even buy this book so they can refurbish forklift batteries as a business. Imagine getting a free forklift battery that normally costs $4000 new. You recondition it in 30 days and sell it locally for $1500. And you don't even need a truck to do it. I'll show you how to have the batteries dropped off and picked up.
This e-book is full of pictures and diagrams to explain the concepts. In it I cover the following and a lot more:
First windmill
Second Windmill
how to make FREE windmill blades and it will only take about an hour to finish a set of 3.
a page full of equations and examples of how to use them to figure out power, rpm, tsr, windspeed etc. (units are in miles per hour and feet)
how to find FREE fork lift batteries and how to make them as good as new
making a homemade de-sulfator so you can "pulse" any battery back into new condition
what kind of generator to look for and how to get the best prices
how to make a simple "furling" system to protect the windmill in high winds
how to charge several banks of batteries all at once while pulsing them back to health
How to make a 1,000 watt wind turbine for less than $150 (including tower)
Here is an excerpt from the book...
Introduction
We can all see how gas prices and energy costs are rising. And there is no indication that they will fall in the near future. In fact, all the evidence points to higher and higher prices in the upcoming years. That is reason enough to look into renewable energy but certainly not the only reason. Some people purchase rural property for a very low cost. But it is so low because there is no electrical lines run to the property. And it may cost $25,000 plus just to have it run. Some people just don't trust that the “grid” will always be there and would like some independence from it. Whatever your reason for being energy self-sufficient, you are probably looking into one of two things. Solar power or wind turbines.
I actually like both and believe that they compliment each other. This is especially true when you have a very windy winter but overcast and rainy. Then in the summer you have good sun, but not as much wind.
But I believe that a solar (photo voltaic) system is way too expensive for the average person. I do believe in solar hot air and water systems though, especially home made versions. They can be very inexpensive. But this book will focus on wind turbines and cheap or free battery systems. And not the store bought wind turbines, but the homemade variety.
Why pay $1,000 for a 400 watt store bought wind turbine when you could make a 1,000 watt machine of your own for only $150? Why pay $4,000 for a 1400 amp hour 12 volt battery bank when you can get one for free?
F.A.Q.
Q: How many megabytes is this e-book?
A: It is 40 pages, 2 MB and full of color pictures and diagrams and it is an instant download.
Q: Can I really get free batteries
A: Absolutely, yes. In the book I show pictures of 2 forklift batteries I picked up for free. These are each 24 volts, 700 amp hours. Or 12 volts at 1400 amp hours if you parallel the two halves. Both batteries together are 12 volts at 2800 amp hours. That is the equivalent to 28 golf cart batteries. That's $2,000 - $3,000 worth of golf cart batteries. Or about $8,000 in forklift batteries if they are purchased new.
Q: How long is a forklift battery rated for? Does it last longer than golf cart batteries?
A: Forklift batteries are rated for 20 years while golf cart batteries are only rated for 5 years. They are both considered "traction" batteries and are deep cycle. In comparison, running your house on a large bank of car batteries would only last about 6 months of heavy cycling.
Q: Are the blades really free, and how long does it really take to carve them?
A: Yep, the blades are free except for the work you put into them. My first set took about 3 hours because I didn't know what I was doing. Now I can carve 3 blades in about an hour.
Q: I know someone with a small windmill that produces 400 watts, but, My God, that thing is loud. How loud will your homemade windmill be? I have neighbors you know.
A: I've gone through about 10 iterations of blade testing and all of them have been quiet, even in high winds. The only difference is that most of those designs weren't as efficient as my latest. These blades start spinning in about 3 mph wind. They start charging a 12 volt battery at about 5 to 12 mph wind (depending on generator used).
Q: Do I need a welder for any part of this construction
A: No, I designed this book for people that had no welder. Some parts would be easier to fabricate if you have a welder though. Although, I have a new ebook on how to make a 400 amp arc welder for only $60 or less. It sells for $14.95
Q: Can I power my house from one windmill?
A: Simple answer is yes, but it wouldn't be practical for most. In this book I look at practical. People use way more power than they think. "Could you power your whole house with 1 solar panel?" Well, yeah, if it were really big! In the book I look at the power you use and talk about conservation being key. Another main concern is average windspeed in your area. Then I show equations to figure out how much power to expect. On the average, most people would need about 2 to 10 small windmills on their property to become energy independent. Remember, it's not how powerful the windmill is, it is all about average wind speed. A 10,000 watt windmill with a 20 foot blade will only produce about 250 watts in 8 mph wind. But in 16 mph wind, it would be 8 times that...or 2,000 watts.
Q: What if I would rather have one big one instead of 10 smaller ones?
A: First reason is tower strength. A 7 foot blade set will have a loading of about 86 pounds of force from a 20 mph wind. A 21 foot blade would produce about the same power as 9 smaller windmills (7 foot) but the same wind would push on the tower with 775 pounds of force. And since the generator and tail are bigger, then you are looking at a very strong and expensive tower. It may take a small team just to raise it.
Also, the bigger the blade, the slower it spins. So you will need to gear up the output or use a homemade generator....more complexity.
And, thirdly, if you use a single big generator and it fails for some reason, then you have no backup. Why put all your eggs in one basket.
Isn't it easier to build a small generator that you can install by yourself and build more as needed?
I believe there is too much waste in the world right now. I love the concept of taking something labeled as "junk" and making it new again. I hate to see batteries go to scrap when it is easy to get some more life out of them. Imagine all that lead and sulfuric acid has to go somewhere and I'm always afraid it will impact the environment or the water supply.
I wrote this book for the thrifty person and the "recycler". Someone who wants to get started into renewable energy and not break the bank in the process. Someone who hates to see scrap sit around and go to waste. Someone who wants to become independent from the grid and help the environment. Some people even buy this book so they can refurbish forklift batteries as a business. Imagine getting a free forklift battery that normally costs $4000 new. You recondition it in 30 days and sell it locally for $1500. And you don't even need a truck to do it. I'll show you how to have the batteries dropped off and picked up.
This e-book is full of pictures and diagrams to explain the concepts. In it I cover the following and a lot more:
First windmill
Second Windmill
how to make FREE windmill blades and it will only take about an hour to finish a set of 3.
a page full of equations and examples of how to use them to figure out power, rpm, tsr, windspeed etc. (units are in miles per hour and feet)
how to find FREE fork lift batteries and how to make them as good as new
making a homemade de-sulfator so you can "pulse" any battery back into new condition
what kind of generator to look for and how to get the best prices
how to make a simple "furling" system to protect the windmill in high winds
how to charge several banks of batteries all at once while pulsing them back to health
How to make a 1,000 watt wind turbine for less than $150 (including tower)
Here is an excerpt from the book...
Introduction
We can all see how gas prices and energy costs are rising. And there is no indication that they will fall in the near future. In fact, all the evidence points to higher and higher prices in the upcoming years. That is reason enough to look into renewable energy but certainly not the only reason. Some people purchase rural property for a very low cost. But it is so low because there is no electrical lines run to the property. And it may cost $25,000 plus just to have it run. Some people just don't trust that the “grid” will always be there and would like some independence from it. Whatever your reason for being energy self-sufficient, you are probably looking into one of two things. Solar power or wind turbines.
I actually like both and believe that they compliment each other. This is especially true when you have a very windy winter but overcast and rainy. Then in the summer you have good sun, but not as much wind.
But I believe that a solar (photo voltaic) system is way too expensive for the average person. I do believe in solar hot air and water systems though, especially home made versions. They can be very inexpensive. But this book will focus on wind turbines and cheap or free battery systems. And not the store bought wind turbines, but the homemade variety.
Why pay $1,000 for a 400 watt store bought wind turbine when you could make a 1,000 watt machine of your own for only $150? Why pay $4,000 for a 1400 amp hour 12 volt battery bank when you can get one for free?
F.A.Q.
Q: How many megabytes is this e-book?
A: It is 40 pages, 2 MB and full of color pictures and diagrams and it is an instant download.
Q: Can I really get free batteries
A: Absolutely, yes. In the book I show pictures of 2 forklift batteries I picked up for free. These are each 24 volts, 700 amp hours. Or 12 volts at 1400 amp hours if you parallel the two halves. Both batteries together are 12 volts at 2800 amp hours. That is the equivalent to 28 golf cart batteries. That's $2,000 - $3,000 worth of golf cart batteries. Or about $8,000 in forklift batteries if they are purchased new.
Q: How long is a forklift battery rated for? Does it last longer than golf cart batteries?
A: Forklift batteries are rated for 20 years while golf cart batteries are only rated for 5 years. They are both considered "traction" batteries and are deep cycle. In comparison, running your house on a large bank of car batteries would only last about 6 months of heavy cycling.
Q: Are the blades really free, and how long does it really take to carve them?
A: Yep, the blades are free except for the work you put into them. My first set took about 3 hours because I didn't know what I was doing. Now I can carve 3 blades in about an hour.
Q: I know someone with a small windmill that produces 400 watts, but, My God, that thing is loud. How loud will your homemade windmill be? I have neighbors you know.
A: I've gone through about 10 iterations of blade testing and all of them have been quiet, even in high winds. The only difference is that most of those designs weren't as efficient as my latest. These blades start spinning in about 3 mph wind. They start charging a 12 volt battery at about 5 to 12 mph wind (depending on generator used).
Q: Do I need a welder for any part of this construction
A: No, I designed this book for people that had no welder. Some parts would be easier to fabricate if you have a welder though. Although, I have a new ebook on how to make a 400 amp arc welder for only $60 or less. It sells for $14.95
Q: Can I power my house from one windmill?
A: Simple answer is yes, but it wouldn't be practical for most. In this book I look at practical. People use way more power than they think. "Could you power your whole house with 1 solar panel?" Well, yeah, if it were really big! In the book I look at the power you use and talk about conservation being key. Another main concern is average windspeed in your area. Then I show equations to figure out how much power to expect. On the average, most people would need about 2 to 10 small windmills on their property to become energy independent. Remember, it's not how powerful the windmill is, it is all about average wind speed. A 10,000 watt windmill with a 20 foot blade will only produce about 250 watts in 8 mph wind. But in 16 mph wind, it would be 8 times that...or 2,000 watts.
Q: What if I would rather have one big one instead of 10 smaller ones?
A: First reason is tower strength. A 7 foot blade set will have a loading of about 86 pounds of force from a 20 mph wind. A 21 foot blade would produce about the same power as 9 smaller windmills (7 foot) but the same wind would push on the tower with 775 pounds of force. And since the generator and tail are bigger, then you are looking at a very strong and expensive tower. It may take a small team just to raise it.
Also, the bigger the blade, the slower it spins. So you will need to gear up the output or use a homemade generator....more complexity.
And, thirdly, if you use a single big generator and it fails for some reason, then you have no backup. Why put all your eggs in one basket.
Isn't it easier to build a small generator that you can install by yourself and build more as needed?
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