A Low Cost Method to Convert Automotive Alternator for Wind Electricity Generation

Wind energy has been widely harvested compared to the other renewable energy resources. Unfortunately, the cost of wind electricity generation is expensive for small-scale utilization. The objective of this work is to develop a low power and low-cost wind electricity generator by using an automotive alternator that can be utilized for small-scale generation. The original alternator performance was first analysed to investigate its electrical characteristic. Then a round permanent magnet is added at the rotor circuit to transform alternator rotor excitation. The performance was then analysed and compared with the original alternator characteristics. The result indicates that with the appropriate modification, automotive alternator has the potential to be used as a low cost wind turbine generator.