Thed following was posted on the NY Times Blog: Someone, somewhere, will probably chuckle to hear about Raffi Holzer and Mark Stauber�s three-part invention for Hanukkah, which begins at sundown on Friday: A wind-powered menorah.

Mr. Holzer and Mr. Stauber, two physics students at Yeshiva University, are serious. And, really, all they did was figure out was how to apply � on a very small scale � concepts that could be applied to large chunks of the power grid.

Their menorah is four feet wide and four feet tall, made of plastic and spray-painted gold. The lights are nine compact fluorescent bulbs. A cable connects them to a car battery. Another cable connects the battery to a wind turbine with a two-foot propeller.
The next part, the how-it-works explanation, sounds like �The Music Goes Round and Round,� except that what comes out is not sound but light. The propeller turns a generator that generates current to charge the batteries. They provide a constant current and voltage to the compact fluorescent bulbs, which give more light on less power than incandescent bulbs.

Mr. Holzer said he had been casting about for a project with �some kind of practical engineering experience.� Mr. Stauber found the inspiration right there on Yeshiva�s men�s campus in Washington Heights. �Going back and forth from my dorm every day, there are wind tunnels between the buildings,� he said. �Really annoying, but could be useful. I thought, build a wind turbine, but what should we power?�

They realized they had to find the right spot for the wind turbine. �Couldn�t have it too gusty, couldn�t have too little,� Mr. Stauber said. �We tried out different locations until we found one that�s working.� It is in front of Morgenstern Hall, a dormitory. �And we had to find the right bulbs,� he said. �It would have been easier if we only had to light one.�

That is because the amount of power the system generates depends on wind speed. �We have the battery so the voltage doesn�t vary, because as the generator spins at different speeds, the output varies,� Mr. Holzer said. �So we collect the power in the battery, and it powers the menorah when we decide to turn it on.�

Mr. Stauber said he saw symbolism in the project. �In the miracle of the menorah, they got back to the temple and there was only enough oil for one night, but they made it last eight days,� he said. �I see an analogy with the world�s fight for sustainable energy, to take that and make it last as long as we�re going to need it.�

(Source: NY Times Blog)