Posts Tagged wind turbines

Designing a Home Wind Turbine

Posted by outside_voices on Wednesday, 14 April, 2010

A home wind turbine is device that converts wind energy into mechanical energy which is later converted into usable electricity.

It typically consists of the following parts:

• The blades – A wind turbine can consist of any number of blades from 4 to 20. Some special wind turbines have higher number of blades.

• The tower – The tower holds the rotating blades high up in the air so that the winds rotate them.

• The shaft – The shaft is responsible for joining the blades with the tower and for the smooth rotation of the blades.

• The generator – These home wind generators are what that generate electricity from the mechanical energy. It also stores power for future usage.

• The base: The base of the home wind turbine keeps it grounded to the earth.

There are many factors that affect the design of a home wind turbine and they are:

• Wind speed: The wind speed can be accurately measured with the help of an anemometer. It is not possible to determine the right kind of wind turbine without knowing the accurate wind speed.

• Wind direction: For designing a wind turbine, it is also important to know the direction from which the wind flows most of the time.

• Change in wind speed: Apart from the constant speed of mind, it is important that you know how the wind changes its speed.

• Change of wind direction: The direction of wind turbine not be constant, so it important to note the way it changes its direction.

• Obstructions on the site: It is best to install a wind turbine at a place without many obstructions. Look out for existing and potential structures that may affect the performance of your wind turbine.

• Wind turbulence: The movement of the wind is not always predictable. However, it is a great idea to understand the patter of wind turbulence in your site.

• Distance of wind activity from the ground: The height of the tower is dependent on the height of which the wind is active.

The designs of home wind turbines vary in the following measures:

• The number of blades
• Shape of the blades
• The height of the tower
• Types of generators
• The distance of the installation spot from the ground
• Distance between the tower and the generator

Install a Wind Turbine To Save On Electricity

Posted by outside_voices on Thursday, 18 March, 2010

Many of the changes that have been brought in the last century to our planet are irreversible, but what we can and must do is to ensure that these changes won't cause any more ecological disasters to Earth.

We can start by switching to alternative energies, and one of the most popular ones is using the wind to generate electricity. Let’s take a look at why you should learn how to build your own wind turbine and use it as a source of energy. All of us know that wind turbines have the ability to turn wind energy into mechanical energy and electricity.

Since the 9th century, farmers have begun using wind turbines for grain grinding, threshing, land drainage as well as water supply. Unfortunately but inevitably, starting with the industrial revolution, wind power generators were replaced by the use of steam and internal combustion engines.

Not long after, people realized that this whole evolution thing is going in the wrong way, and they decided to go back to the old trend of using wind energy as a type of ecological energy.

However, not everyone knows how to build wind turbine. The reason is because it isn’t really practical to build a wind turbine in heavily populated areas. Alternatively, for a rural community, this would be very much suitable.

Local authorities should make bigger efforts in gaining founds to develop and implement home wind generators, to supply most of the energy the community uses. There are states like California, for whom going green is one of the priorities, and they should be a model for the rest of the world. For instance, they have workshops to teach farmers how to build wind turbine. They are also loans provided to help them build a wind turbine.

For an individual to learn how to build wind turbine isn't really a difficult task as well. There are actually some instructional guides online that provides you with accurate information on the materials you need plus step-by-step instructions to get you started.

Rooftop Wind Turbine Generators

Posted by outside_voices on Tuesday, 16 March, 2010

With the ever increasing “pinch” on homeowners wallets coupled with more awareness placed every day on our mother earth’s health, more and more folks are searching for alternative energy sources to help lower their electric and fuel bills, and at the same time, helping the earth’s ozone layer.

DIY rooftop wind turbines have become hugely popular as one of these alternative energy idea solutions.

Rooftop wind turbines are fast becoming the answer for thousands of homeowners. These wind turbines for houses can be built with ordinary materials for as little as $200 and can be built and installed in a weekend.

Wind turbine blades are made out of pvc drain pipe. One 6″ x three foot section of pipe can be quartered down to four pieces which are then shaped into turbine blades. The natural cup of the pipe forms the camber necessary just as seen on an airplane propeller.

DC electric motors can be found on E-Bay for less than $50. The pvc wind turbine blades are connected to these motors which in turn are connected to a battery system to collect the wind generated power.

The total idea is amazingly easy and most anybody can accomplish this undertaking in a weekend. There are many wind turbine kit plans available today. These manuals sell generally for a little less than fifty dollars.

These kits are instructional manuals only, but are complete and very thorough. They also offer online assistance and videos if you should need more help than what is in the guidebook.

Do not be fooled into thinking that a rooftop residential wind turbine will supply your whole house with an abundant amount of endless energy though. These DIY wind turbines are just a supplemental source of alternative energy, but they still can save you hundreds, if not thousands of dollars in the long run on energy expenses.

 

Alternative Energy Ideas – Wind Turbines You Build

Posted by outside_voices on Monday, 15 February, 2010

Finding alternative energy sources and implementing them to our homes is on the rise. Wind power and solar energy have become the leaders with wind power coming to the forefront. A big problem facing the majority of homeowners though is the expense associated with commercially built and installed wind turbines. It’s just too expensive!

There is an alternative energy solution to this alternative energy problem though. Build your own!

So…just how do you build a wind turbine? And also, just how much can you really benefit from one?

These were questions that I had asked myself also. So I started searching the Internet and digging deeper into the subject to find out just what is all involved with building a wind generator.

There were several things I found out initially, and the one that stood out the most was that there were several do-it-yourself manuals available that would show you how to build your own alternative energy sources. Mainly, wind turbines and solar panels.

I purchased one of the manuals and found that, firstly, do not fall under the illusion that these are going to take you completely off the grid. It is possible, but not by building and installing just one wind turbine. Combine it with a series of solar panels on your roof-top and then you can start to think about putting a serious dent into your electric bill. Don’t get me wrong, the wind turbines are very effective, but realize that they are more of a supplement of power to your home, and are not the gargantuan wind turbines that you see out on those huge wind farms!

Building the wind turbine itself is quite easy. The directions that you receive from these manuals are very clear and well laid out. I have to admit that I was at first skeptical, but that was before I had really given it a chance. I built my wind turbine and had it installed in about a week’s time. Not the two days that the guide claims, but nonetheless, it goes pretty fast.

Also, some people may think they are receiving a wind turbine kit that includes all of the parts when they purchase these do-it-yourself alternative energy manuals.You do not receive the parts for these turbines when you buy the manual, but the parts are easy to find and you can build a pretty basic operating wind turbine for around $140 to $200.

In the end,  what can I expect by building and installing my own wind turbine?

As I said before, do not expect to power your entire home by building and installing your own personal wind turbine. The advantages are great, but not enough to go off the grid. Depending on the wind that you receive, you should be able to produce enough energy to power your lights and other small appliances. Combine an operating solar panel system along with you wind turbine, and then you can start to consider going “off grid”. Good news is, these wind turbine manuals also include complete instructions showing you how to build and install your own solar power system to your home!

My own experience with building an alternative energy system for my home went quite well, and I am pleased with the results. If you are serious about creating your own alternative energy, would like to learn how to build a wind turbine, or how to build a solar panel, follow the links provided and get started today!

 

 

Windmills – When Were They Invented?

Posted by outside_voices on Saturday, 2 January, 2010

Find out more about wind turbines at www.diywindpoweredhome.com

Windmills have come a long ways since they first were invented. Now they are being able to be put together by individuals on their own. And nowone of the most popular ways of alternative energy are wind turbines. As each year passes by windmills are continuing to grow within their popularity, mainly with the modern day green movement. Wind turbines are unique in how they operate by gaining energy through a source that is never depleting. This is why wind turbines are becoming more and more popular. When were wind turbines first introduced into the world? Are they are a new invention?

In reality windmills were created first between 500-900 A.D. by the Persians and were used as a water pumping system. The original windmill model was the vertical axis. This vertical axis was made with vertical sails made of reeds put together to the central vertical shaft by horizontal struts. In 1270 A.D. the windmill was moved over to Western Europe were they created the horizontal axis wind turbine. The model was altered because they found the structural efficiency of drag-type for the horizontal axis wind turbines was greater than the vertical axis. From here the wind turbine design was perfected and used in different ways such as irrigation, grain grinding, saw milling of timber, and pumping water. In 1888, the US was able to successfully develop a multi-blade windmill that created electricity.

From this point on the model of the windmill continued to changed to be more efficient in creating the highest output of electricity. From the 1970s to 1990s countries started to create wind farms in a way for alternative energy over fossil fuel, and even more during the Arab oil crisis in 1973. It was at this point when the United States government would begin to get involved and started to finance some of the wind energy programs as an alternative energy source. From here on the models of wind turbines were perfected into producing the maximum amount of kilowatts for the lowest amount of cost. Now people are able to build their own windmill from home.

Energy production for wind turbines is starting to be cheaper than other ways. Wind turbines are even said to be under pricing the capital costs of close to every other power plant type in other countries! This is great news for home owners since they are able to now build their own home wind turbine. This is going to allow people around the world to reduce their electricity costs and stop depending on the electric company for their electric needs. To learn more on how to build a home wind turbine take a look at this online resource.