Electric Water Turbine From Beverage Cans

How can a water turbine be made from beer cans which will make electricity? Continue reading to find out.

4 aluminium cans
Aluminium foil
Length of dowel

Hot glue gun

Cut 8 paddles from 4 aluminium beverage cans. Two paddles can be made from each can.
Make a cut down the side of a can, starting from the base to the top, taping in slightly with a utility knife. Do the same on the other side of the can. Join these cuts by cutting around the top side of the can. Join the base cuts up by cutting through the base of the can with scissors.
Trim off any jagged edges using scissors.
Shape the remaining half of the can into a paddle with scissors.

The centre is made from aluminium foil which has been scrunched up and compressed into a ball. Start by crunching up some foil and rolling it into a ball. Compress it by pressing it against the table surface as it rolled. Add more crunched up foil to increase the ball's size to about 6-7 cm in diameter,

Glue the 8 paddles to the aluminium ball using a hot glue gun. Add additional glue around the outside to link the paddles together and provide extra strength. Have all the paddles facing the same direction. The paddles overlap each other, this gives extra strength, a bit like a circle of people sitting on each other knees - supporting each other.

Attach a shaft made from a length of wooden dowel. Drill a hole into the centre of the aluminium ball and insert the dowel. It should be a snug fit so it rotates with the paddles and ball.

Hold the water turbine under running water to see if it rotates. I held it in my hands under the kitchen sink tap and found the water striking the paddle pladdes rotated them quite quickly.

To see if the turbine will generate electricity, a small electric generator and LED light was attached. This was done by connecting the handle of the hand crank generator directly to the dowel with a couple of screws.

When placed under running water the LED from a garden light lite up. This could provide backup lighting.

You might also like to check out: Aluminium Beer Can Waterwheel