Fun with Magnets
kottke.org
kottke.org
It would seem that should be much more reliable than fans.
My guess is that the disc may need some playing with - perhaps a ball instead comprised of magnets spliced together, perhaps the disk would need to taper off towerds the end, or perhaps the disc would even need to be spun (flat), since as long as it is rotating it might less flip to the side.
I actually tried building this once, but did not have the materials or skillset to see if it could really be done.
Is it possible?
So I guess the answer is solar radiation -> food -> ATP -> magnets -> kinetic energy. It isn't particularly efficient :)