Ted Baer has created a series of small windmills designed for third world use over a period of three decades. This first in the series has evolved in simplicity and power. The aluminum vanes are constructed from a building flashing roll utilizing the pre-existing bend of the roll in construction. Two 16 " sections are rivited together to make one vane. The vanes clip on the spokes of the bicycle wheel using a "bent nail" and a bend in the vane. Detailed pictures will be provided shortly. The generator is a surplus permanent magnet motor and the endless belting is purchased to length from online sources.

"Pictures of the construction process of Vertical Axis Wind Turbine, or VAWT, airfoils. The design is a variation of one from Windstuff Ed and is called the Lenz2 wind turbine."

"Wind powered battery charging systems can be cost-effective if the average wind speed is nine miles perhour (mph) or more at the location of the wind generator. If you are using wind in combination with photovoltaic power, it may be cost effective if good wind is available only during part of the year. The power available from the wind is proportional to the cube of the wind speed. When the wind speed doubles, the power delivered is eight times as great . Most wind generators are designed to deliver maximum power at a wind speed of 30 mph. At 15 mph, they will deliver about 1/8 their rated power. A wind generator should be mounted at least 20 feet higher than any obstruction within 300 feet to avoid turbulence. You can expect the power output of a wind generator to decrease roughly 3% for every 1000 feet of elevation. That means that you'll get 70% of the power at 10,000 feet elevation."