Students carry on professor’s dream of off-the-grid water heater
Not quite on demand heat, but certainly a viable alternative to natural gas and propane. The trick is keeping the water hot all the time. Glad to see that his work is being carried on after his death.
OregonLive.com: NewsFlash - Students carry on professor’s dream of off-the-grid water heater
The turbine is connected to one end of a vertical shaft. At the other end are 22 powerful magnets.
When wind hits the turbine, the shaft spins, rotating the magnets. This change in magnetic field creates energy.
A copper plate below the magnets acts as a conductor. As the plate warms, water from a storage tank is pumped through copper coils attached to the plate, and heats.
The turbine also could be placed in a stream, and the water current would cause the shaft to rotate, the students said.
