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Build Your Own Wind Power System


Wind GeneratorWe have been using wind power for thousands of years to propel sailing boats and ships and in the farming industry to pump water and for milling. Our architects have also kept wind in mind when designing buildings and used it for natural ventilation. We have recently started using it for generating electricity. Wind electricity is fast becoming one of the foremost sources of renewable energy and our scientists are coming up with extremely innovative ways of using wind to create electricity. It is also one of the easiest and most accessible ways to generate electricity at home. All the required components are fairly easy to come by and are relatively inexpensive.

The Core Components of the Wind Electricity Generator

The first component required is the generator. Very simply put, this is a DC motor which when instead of applying a voltage to the terminals of the motor to get movement, you apply movement to the shaft in order to create an electrical charge. This voltage is then used to charge a battery which you can then use to provide energy to your electrical appliances. The other components are the tower to place the generator high up in a good steady wind and a rotating arm so that the turbine blades can point in the right direction to catch the wind. The final part would be the electronic controller unit which would regulate the charging of your battery.

What to look for when buying Parts for your Wind Electricity Generator

What you are looking for here is a dc generator which will produce at least 30 volts. This would just be sufficient to charge a 12 volt battery which you would be able to run most appliances with. The revolutions per minute of the turbine would determine the output voltage of the generator. The 30 volt dc generator would need to be in a fairly good wind to generate the 13 to 18 volts required to charge a 12 volt battery so if you live somewhere that doesn’t have a consistently high wind then you may want to go for a higher voltage generator.

The turbine blades can be made from 4 to 6 inch ABS piping. A 19 to 24 inch length of this piping can be cut lengthways into quarters, sanded and shaped into 4 turbine blades. You only need 3 blades so the fourth one can be kept as a spare. All it takes is a storm or a strong gusty wind to break these blades so having some spare blades is a very good idea.

The controller unit is essentially just a relay switch which either connects your wind turbine to your lead acid battery or to a dummy load to avoid causing damage to your battery from over charging. If you are comfortable working with electronic circuits then building this controller shouldn’t present much of a problem. There are a number of resources online where you can find schematic diagrams for this type of circuit. None of the components are particularly expensive or hard to find. One thing that should be mentioned here is that you should always connect your wind turbine to the controller last and disconnect it first. This will prevent voltage fluctuations and protect the components of your controller.

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