Grid
power is becoming more and more expensive everyday,
making people look for alternative energy for home use.
As for alternative renewable energy, wind and solar
power are readily available in our small planet merely
for the asking. But while the wind blows all the time at
varying forces, solar power goes to sleep as soon as the
sun sets for the day. And since wind sweeps all through
the day and night, it is harnessed in an uncomplicated
way to generate electricity for our daily use. The
generators that produce electricity through wind power
are called wind turbines or for simplicity’s sake, just
Turbines.
Although
wind generators or turbines are readily available for
sale at a fairly high price all over the country,
technically minded people enjoy building their own wind
generators at home at an incredibly low price. To be
honest about it, building yourself a wind generator for
the home needs the following parts, most of which can be
fished out of the local hardware store almost for a
song.
- A
small DC motor to be turned into a
generator
- Blades
(around three in
number) to turn the
motor
- A
converter-cum-transformer to convert the DC current
into 129 V AC current
- A
battery bank to store the generated
current
- An
electronic control system that can switch the
generated power from the batteries to a dummy load or
redirect the current to a grid.
- Some
wires
- A
tower to get it up against the
wind
But
do not, for a moment, nurture the idea that all motors
will follow the textbook formula, producing the
anticipated power when spinning at rated rpm. So, here
comes the question of pick and choose. If you go by the
thumb rule, select one that is sleek and less heavy as
compared to others. The motor selection completed, you
may turn your attention to the blades. They may be
carved out of wood (too heavy) or sawed out of a 6 inch
ABS pipe that is at least 24 inches long. When cut
lengthwise into 4 pieces, they make excellent blades for
the wind powered generator. In fact, the generator will
need 3 blades while the fourth one will serve as a spare
blade for replacement when any one gets accidentally
damaged.
For
a person involved in ‘build it yourself
wind generator’, the next step is to go search for a
hub to which the blades are to be hatched. One more trip
to the hardware store may solve the problem
instantaneously. Once located, it is literally a breeze
to bolt the blades to the hub and then fixing the
assembly to the shaft of the motor.
As
soon as it is done to the builder’s satisfaction, a
mounting frame for the wind turbine generator is needed.
This can be comfortably achieved by fixing the assembly
onto a piece of wood measuring 4” x 2” And since the
contraption also needs a tail end to keep it keep it
turned into the wind all the while, use a piece of
aluminum sheet to do the job efficiently.
After
all the hardware job is completed, a wind turbine charge
controller is needed which will monitor the voltage of
the batteries in the system. It will either send power
from the generator to the batteries or divert it to
other sundry loads to save the batteries from
over-charging. Alternatively, it can also direct the
current to the utility for making money. These minor
electronic items are, however, always available at e-bay
at a nominal cost.
Now
that the unit is fit for operation, one needs the tower
to hoist it up into the wind. All one needs for this
piece of job is a 10 foot long 1.25 inch conduit and
some guy ropes. The rope will anchor the conduit to four
wooden stakes driven in the ground while the turnbuckles
on the lower end of each guy-line will allow plumbing of
the tower. Now one could raise or lower the tower by
releasing the line from either stake in line with the
pivot fixed at the base.
Apart
from the fact that a build it yourself
wind generator can be amazingly cheap for the
average citizen, the satisfaction of building one far
outweighs the cost factor. In fact, doing anything
constructive has its rewards that often can not be
realized by dollars alone.
Building
a wind generator is quite easy really – you just need to
know the details. Given the many advantages of wind
power that range from ecological to financial, it makes
a lot of sense too to get wind power for your home or
commercial establishment. To make it fully functional,
you should also know where to buy cheap parts from,
learn about how to choose the best location and how to
wire the system. And of course you should know about the
safety precautions.
