No matter how people may sing
heartening songs in praise of wind power and the
comparatively lower cost of installing a system in your
home to cut down electricity bills, the practical
problem lies in getting hold of a wind power system at a
reasonable price.
Readymade
wind power systems that are available in the market and
are suitable to the average homes, cost nothing less
than $4000. Such a high initial lay out will take years
for the system to pay back, presuming it would generate
adequate power to offset the prevalent high electricity
bills. Enterprising adults, therefore, often think in
terms of having a homemade wind power system that
will cost as little as $100 to $200. To illustrate the
point, here are the details. However, prior to laying
hands on the project, it may be prudent to check two
vital points involved with the issue – (a) Whether the
home regularly receives reasonably strong wind current
(at least 8 mph) all through the year and (b) Whether
there is any local by-law banning installation of a wind
power system in the area. A positive response to (a) and
a negative reply to (b) is enough to plunge headlong
into making a homemade wind power system or a
turbine as detailed below.
To
start with, one would require 5 basic components that
include a power generator, blades to turn its shaft, a
movable mount and a tail to keep the generator in right
direction, a tower to install the unit, batteries and an
electronic control device.
The hunt for the generator may come
to an end either at the local hardware shop or at an
e-bay outlet. As for the generator, all one needs is a
reliable DC motor working at a low rpm. Now, for those
not conversant with electrical appliances it may be
relevant to know that DC motors also work as generators
when turned in reverse direction. A 30 volt, 325 rpm
After
the DC motor is duly acquired, blades are needed to turn
the shaft. These can be carved out of wood or can be
made out of 4 inch PVC pipe, 24 inch long. Cut
lengthwise into 4 pieces, they serve the purpose well.
While three blades are actually required for the
turbine, the 4th blade may be kept in reserve
future use. One more run to the hardware shop is then
needed to procure a hub onto which the blades are
tightly bolted. Once the hub with the blades attached to
it is firmly fixed to the shaft, the turbine is almost
ready for use.
One
then needs a firm base for fixing the turbine for which
a 4 inch x 8 inch wooden piece will be fine. The turbine
may then be fixed on the base with the help of screws or
can be strapped to it with a thin metal strip as were
often used in old fashioned automobile generators in the
form of inspection window cover. As the assembly has
almost taken the final shape, a controller and batteries
are needed to close the chapter. While the controller
can be had from e-bay for a song, the batteries will
cost some money.
And
finally, the problem of finding a tower for hoisting the
turbine can be solved with the help of a 10 feet long
conduit, few turnbuckles and some nylon guy-ropes.
Fitted with a hinge at the base and a flange at the top
completes the job suitably and well. The entire wiring
of the turbine from top of the conduit to its bottom can
be run through the inside for protection against rain
and sleet while the batteries may be kept at ground
level for the sake of convenience.
As
the homemade wind power generator becomes fit for
operation, the guy ropes may be used to anchor the 10
feet long conduit to four wooden stakes driven to the
ground while the turnbuckles on the lower end of each
guy-line allows plumbing of the tower. The tower can now
be raised or lowered to ground level for inspection
and/or maintenance. Once raised to its full height and
adjusted to suit the wind direction, the turbine will go
on producing current to the merriment of all
concerned.
