Build Your Own Wind Generator
Wind Generators from a Wind Farm
Build Your Own Wind Generator for $200
As interest increases in home wind power, many people are discovering that purchasing a professional installation can be a costly business with numbers reaching the thousands of dollars.
If you are at all handy with tools and equipment, why not build your own wind generator?
The cost is a fraction of what you will pay for a professional system. Many DIYers are setting up their own wind turbines for perhaps two hundred dollars. They report that their hand made wind power generator is completely adequate for their requirements.
Wind Generator Products on Amazon
Tip: Start With a Plan for your DIY Wind Turbine
You could start from scratch and plan the entire project yourself. However, why not learn from the mistakes and successes of other people who have installed their windmills themselves?
You are likely to save yourself a lot of
hassle when you have a step by step guide to follow, instead of discovering what works and what doesn't by trial and error.
Various plans are available for download on the web sites. Some are free; others charge a small amount.
The better ones usually cost a little but you end up working from a set of thoroughly tested plans and may even have video tutorials to show you exactly how to proceed
What Basic Components Must You Have?
A small number of collected parts and components are all you need. DIY wind turbines are simple machines.
Your first step is to construct the
blades. Rather than fabricating the
blades personally, all you need to do is acquire some PVC piping. Slice this
piping lengthwise into quarters. You now have the trio of blades you need as
well as an extra one should a bladed need replacing later on.
Once your blades are ready, you must locate a motor. You may be able to find a used motor on eBay or other auction site. Perhaps you can even find one that is free, but please ensure it is in good shape. The motor that you incorporate into your wind power system will become the generator. It will be operating in reverse.
Your third item that you require is a deep cycle battery. If you look around, you may be able to find a good, used battery at a budget price or perhaps even free. Golf courses often have old batteries that they may let you have.
Wind Speed Charts and Info
- Planning a Wind Farm - Canadian Wind Energy Association Canadian Wind Energy Association
Outlines the steps that go into building a windfarm - WINDExchange: Wind Maps and Data
Frm the US Department of Energy - Wind forecast map Australia - Windfinder
Wind forecast map Australia for kitesurfing, windsurfing, surfing & sailing - Wind Speed Charts, Europe and the UK
Current weather observations and forecast. Providing near real time weather maps of wind strength and direction across the UK and Europe
What Assembly is Involved When You Build Your Own Wind Generator?
When you have acquired your blades, your motor and your battery, the next step of building your own wind generator is to assemble these components. You may need some extra items other than that listed above and of course you will need some tools.
At this point, you just decide where you want to mount your wind turbine. Some homeowners mount their turbines on the roof or on a wall. Some place them on a large stand and mount them on the ground. As you may expect, your choice of location is based on where your machine will generate the optimum amount of electricity.
Conducting a wind survey will give you this information. To do you survey, you need an instrument known as an anemometer. This gives you far more accurate information than you will get by referring to general data about average wind speeds throughout the region.
It is entirely possible that a number of factors are distinctive in your vicinity. You need to take these factors into account when doing your wind analyses.