Can a 40v windmill generator power a lightbulb?
Image by shog9
Driving back from Oklahoma, we passed through the Twin Buttes, CO wind farm. This old windmill isn’t part of it… but is nearby. Old is new again…
Question by snapshot1919: Can a 40v windmill generator power a lightbulb?
what about a 50v?
Feel free to answer in the comment section below
5 Responses to Can a 40v windmill generator power a lightbulb?
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Depends what voltage the bulbs are rated at. Lightbulbs in a house are 120 volt. It will light it up but about half the brightness.
mactruck
November 18, 2011 at 6:00 pm
It depends on what type of light bulb it its
Geoffrey H
November 18, 2011 at 6:27 pm
Yes it will light a 24v globe only.
Old Fart
November 18, 2011 at 6:32 pm
Voltage is not a measure of how much power a generator can output. You need the number of amps or watts.
A really poor windmill could supply 40 or 50 volts but at a very low current, for example, 1 mA, which would not be enough to light any bulbs.
But if there is some current or power available, 40 or 50 volts is a very odd voltage to use to light a light bulb. They come in 100-120 volt size (for houses in US), or 200-240 volt size (for houses in ROW), or 12 volt size (for autos), or 1-6 volt size for flashlights, but none that are readily available that work on 40-50 volts.
You can run a 12 volt auto lamp with a series dropping resistor.
.
billrussell42
November 18, 2011 at 7:12 pm
Just connect 3 or 4 12 volt bulbs in series. Four 5 watt bulbs will give about the same light output as one 20 watt bulb. The issue is the power from the generator rather than the voltage.
Dave D
November 18, 2011 at 7:21 pm