Learn to Build a Wind Turbine

Mother Nature is great that gives us so many resources and that’s all free, specifically energy sources like sun, wind and water. None of them is charged by nature! As the technology is having advancements, people are looking to harness these free energy sources to convert and use them for their domestic appliances. This is the fact that fossil fuel reserves are decreasing and need for alternate energy sources are getting more. Best way is to harness the solar or wind energy.

The renewable energy technology is advancing rapidly. Use of wind turbines is best way to harness the energy.  It was used in old times in form of windmills.  Many home owners are considering to harness wind energy through the help of certain devices.

What is Wind Energy?

Wind energy is a kinetic energy to convert this energy in form of mechanical energy wind turbine is needed. Wind turbine is a device with large vaned wheels and it rotates by wind. Its rotation converts kinetic energy into mechanical energy which then is converted into electric energy through help of generator. The wind energy can be used to run simple machines at home. This will reduce your electric bill.

How to build a Wind Turbine for Home?

Its easy to design a wind turbine for home. You will need this equipment to build a wind turbine:

1-Rods

2-Magnets

3-Bearings

4-Wood planks to construct a frame

5-Copper wire for winding

6-Nuts

7-Bolts

8-Inverter

9-Battery

You will need this equipment to build:

1-Blades

Wood planks will be used to make the blades, with help of a hammer and chisel you can give the blades finishing touch as you desire. 25 mm thickness would be the best for those wood plank made blades. You will have to make a chart for the dimensions of blades so you can make the blades according to your needs which work perfectly. Power tools designed for homes can make your task much easier.  After finishing the blades you will need to set them on a rotor, for that you can use double sided tape. Little chiseled stumps will support the down side of the blade as you plan to fix them on rotor.

2- Rotors

Initially you will need two magnet rotors to be designed. You will need coil winding copper wire which will be placed between the two magnet discs. To make magnetic discs you will need at least 12 magnets that will be used for each disk. First consider the dimensions of milling cutter before drilling the holes for magnetic discs.  After that place the magnets on the disc with help of a strong resin. To make rotor discs you have choice to choose between, medium density fiberboard, iron, stainless steel, or wood. 

The magnetic rotor then will be needed to be drilled as to accommodate 6004 bearing.  The support bearings must be placed on either side of the shaft. The magnet rotor would be designed in such way that it can hold at least 12 magnets.  The magnetic poles on each rotor should be placed like that they attract the magnets on the opposite side.  It should be made sure that weight of rotors should be carried by the bolts to have proper balancing. The hole in the center of the two rotors will secure the stator.

3-Stator

For making stator you will have to work on number of copper wire which will charge the battery. A 12V standard battery you will need for that. You will have to make the coils with help of copper wire, a series of coils in parallel groups.  Winding coils will take little time of yours, but on whole winding coils is the most fun part of this project and you will enjoy that. While winding coils you must keep 200 turns on each coil. 

After winding position the coils and screw down the stator on the board. Fill the joints with resin in other to secure the joints and let the components work smoothly. Now set this your wind energy harnessing design on a testing stick and see look that your battery and inverter harness the wind energy every time when turbine swings.

Your wind energy turbine is ready it is the most reliable source of energy that cost a lot less.

Build Your Own Wind Powered Generator

The modern world mainly relies on fossil fuel energy. But the fact everyone knows fossil fuels have limits and fossil fuel resources are decreasing. They will end, though not now may be in next some hundred or more years they will end. That’s why all developed countries are looking to alternative sources of energy. Renewable energy forms like solar energy and wind energy. Though these forms are yet not in full practical mode but in future they will be having major role in meeting energy crisis.

Wind energy is a renewable energy type and it doesn’t have any emissions. Wind energy is being used by human from centuries in form of windmills and for sailing ships.

Wind power is still used to generate electricity on large scale. But, how you can produce electricity on small scale through wind power? To produce electricity through wind power a wind generator is needed.

What is Wind Generator?

Wind generator is a device which produces the electricity by harnessing the wind. Wind powered generator produces the electricity with the help of wind turbines. Difference is only that in windmills large wind turbines are used while of wind powered generator small size wind turbines are needed. Wind generator harnesses the wind power through wind turbines and that produced electricity is stored in batteries, which is then used to power the electrical appliances.

You can buy a wind generator and you can make your own wind generator also!

Required Material for Making Wind Generator

Components which are needed to build wind generator are:

• Blades
• Generator body
• Motor
• Hub
• Tail
• Batteries
• Wind Generator Diode

Tools which you will need to build wind generator are:

• Saw
• Bolts
• Hammer etc.

The blades which will be needed to make a small wind turbine for the generator you can buy from market or you can make them in home. If you make them in home then probable you will make those blades of wood or PVS pipe. If you choose wood then use cedar wood as it’s strong and flexible.

Making Body and Tail of the Wind Generator

You can make the body and tail of the wind generator from recycled double-wall stainless steel chimney pipe. Double wall stainless steel chimney pipe will work as the body of your generator and it can resist the rough weather.

Building Your Own Wind Generator

You will need following things to build your own wind generator:

1. Motor

To build your own wind generator you will have to get the motor which is rated for high DC voltage, low RPM and high current. Size of motor can vary as it depends on the size wind blades of your made up wind turbine. Usually a motor above 40 volts is considered good for making of wind generator. Construct the hub of generator from a circular piece of steel. Blades and motor will be attached with the hub with help of bolts. Batteries are needed to store the electricity which is produced by the generator.

2. Batteries

Batteries will be attached with generator by a thick wire. Batteries are very sensitive to excessive heat or cold so place them on a place where weather doesn’t have affect on them.  The best place will be such place for the placement of batteries where you can keep an eye on them for monitoring.  You will also need a wall meter so that you can know whether batteries are getting charged or not.

3. Wind Generator Diode

The wind generator diode will be attached with the generator as it will allow you to monitor the current flow. You can monitor the wind generator current flow by the help of generator   diode which will show that current flowing is on right direction which is towards batteries and toward generator.

4. Inverter

You will also need a good quality inverter which you will have to attach with the batteries. The inverter will convert the DC current into AC so that appliances in your home can use that power.

Bottom Line

Though yet wind energy is having major part in meeting energy challenges of world. But use of wind energy is growing rapidly around the world. Statistics of last five years shows that use of wind energy had got doubled in these past 5 years.  It is a solid fact that wind energy is environment friendly.

Wind Powered Autos

Wind power is not new to humans, it was used by mankind centuries ago to sail on sea, ships and large boats use the wind power. Most of ships in ancient times use wind power to sail until steam engines were invented. Still in many countries wind power is use to sail boats or other sea activities but only as a sport or leisure activity such as, windsurfing and yachting.

But use of wind power in old days was related only to sea vehicles. In modern days when the pollution and global warming problem is on rise the scientists thought to use wind energy to devise a wind powered car.  Though wind energy still haven’t became a big energy industry like thermal and hydroelectricity generation. But wind energy haves its own solid basis and it’s in process of development. But the thing which raise the question in mind that ‘will wind powered car work same as conventional cars?”

Let’s check it out!

How Wind Powered Car Work?

 

Same principle of wind power is used in wind cars also that wind power in car is turned into electricity which helps the car to move forward. The concept which let the scientists to work for a wind powered car is that when we are driving in a car an immense force of wind the car gets which can be felt if we take our hand out of car window. This thing made the scientists that how if this wind force is used to harness the electrical energy as a clean source for running cars.

Following accessories are used in a wind powered cars:

1. Wind Turbines for Wind Powered Cars

Like other wind energy processing mechanics in wind powered card wind turbines and valves are used also to harness the wind. These wind turbines are valves are placed in such position in the cars that they can start moving. The function of valves is to absorb the wind which is needed to power the car. Along valves an alternator is connected which convert the kinetic energy into electric energy. The generated electric energy is stored in a DC battery which is connected to a controller. The controller converts he DC current in to AC.

2. Potentiometers

Potentiometers work in the wind powered car is to resist and regulate the speed of the car. There is a cable which connects the controller and accelerator which passes through a couple of potentiometers. Efficiency of accessories in wind powered cars is excellent as the number of rotating and revolving parts are   very less, in result it helps to move quite fast.

How Wind Power Plants Work?

Just building a windmill in a windy place doesn’t mean that operating of wind power plant is simple. It’s necessary for wind power plant owners to plan carefully where to locate their machinery and also to check out that how fast and how much wind blows at proposed locations.

As it’s a rule that wind speed increases with altitude and over open areas that have no windbreaks. Good places for wind plants are the smooth rounded hills, open plains or shorelines and mountain gaps that produce wind funneling.

Wind Speed Variation

Throughout the United States wind speed varies and it also varies from season to season. As in Tehachapi, California, from April to October wind blows more than winter season. Wind blowing between those months is more because of the extreme heating of the Mojave Desert during the summer months. The hot air in desert rises and the cooler air from Pacific Ocean with great speed passes the Tehachapi Mountain to replace the vacuum. While in Montana State its totally different there wind blows more in winter.

Luckily these seasonal variations are a good match for the electricity demands of the regions. As in California electricity is used more in summers for using air conditioners and in Montana it’s used more in winters for heating.

The States with more Wind Production

In 2008 wind turbines or wind machines were producing electricity in 31 different States. In those 31 States Texas, California, Lowa, Minnesota and Oklahoma are the states with more wind production.

International Wind Power Plants

Most of wind power plants are located in Europe and in the United States the governments there had supported the wind power development. According to 2008 figures regarding wind power generation United States is on top in wind power capacity, followed by Germany, Spain and china. Denmark’s ranking is ninth in world in wind power generation, while it generates about 20% of its electricity from wind.

Offshore Wind Power

Conditions for wind power generations are suitable on much of the coasts of the United States but some people oppose that putting wind turbines near the coastlines and there are also some people who thinks that the wind turbines will spoil the view of ocean. That’s why there is plan now to build an offshore wind plant off the coast of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

Wind is great renewable energy source and some people think that it is a good substitute for fossil oil. Most of all it does not pollute the environment.

Wind Energy and Its Uses

The non-renewable energy resources like fossil fuels, coal etc. are depleting and will end one day as the world is using them. It’s a solid fact that every resource of energy which is taken from earth will because those are limited, and there is no such mechanism that kept on making those non-renewable energy resources under ground. The world then will have to rely on the renewable energy resources. Renewable energy resources like wind can never deplete.

Wind energy and solar energy are the forms of renewable energy that probably can help out mankind from energy crisis.

How Ancient Civilizations Used Wind Energy?

Ancient civilizations were familiar with the use of wind energy and its used was cited in the Chinese, Babylonians, Persians and Middle East Civilizations. In old times wind energy was used to propel the ships and boats, while in China windmills were used for pumping water for irrigation purposes.  Wind energy use was popular in Europe also, in Netherlands windmills were used for irrigation and electricity production in the late 19^th century.

In America windmills were pretty much in use also for irrigation and grinding cereals. Windmills were used in farms and far flung areas to fulfill the energy requirements.  But in 20^th century when electricity supplies were increased windmills got disappeared from scene also! In last 20 years again windmills can be seen across the United States. Wind energy is becoming economical source of energy in many countries around the globe. United States is having a plan to meet its 30% of electricity needs through wind energy till 2030.

Wind Energy Uses in Modern Era

In modern era wind energy is not used similar as it was in ancient time that grinding cereals and pumping water through windmills.  Windmills are now replaced with wind turbines. Wind turbines are used to produce electricity. But the model of wind turbines is similar like windmills. Wind turbines are having these parts:

• Blades
• Shafts
• Gears
• Generators and cable

The wind blows across the wind turbine’s blades which makes them to move. When blades move they makes the shafts connected to them in motion, leading to power in a generator. This makes electricity which is then distributed through cables.

The electricity production capacity depends on size and numbers of the wind turbines. Smaller size wind turbines will make less electricity which probably will be sufficient for a single home. While big size wind turbines can produce electricity for nearly 500 to 1000 homes. Many coastal areas where wind blows round the clock, wind plants are establish to provide electricity to villages and communities.

Wind energy is an environment friendly type of energy that haves zero emissions. So many countries around the globe are now planting wind energy plants. In coming years use of wind energy will increase.

Wind Turbine Types

There are two types of wind machines, which are used today, one is a horizontal axis wind machine and other is vertical axis wind machine. There is a lot of difference between the sizes of Wind machines (turbines). Small wind turbine only haves capacity less than 100 kilowatts that is used to power a single house or business. There are large turbines that have capacity of 5 megawatts. Large turbines are grouped together in wind farms that provide power to the electrical grid.

Horizontal axis Wind Turbines

Most of wind turbines used today are horizontal axis type. Horizontal axis wind turbines are having blades like airplane propellers. A particular type of horizontal wind machine is having height equal to a 20-story building and 3 blades that span 200 feet across. The largest wind machines in the world are having blades longer than a football field. Wind machines always stand tall with wide span blades to capture more air.

Vertical axis Wind Turbines

Vertical axis wind turbines looks like egg Beaters, they are blades, which go from top to bottom. The most common type vertical axis wind turbine is Darrieus; it was named after the French engineer George Darrieus who patented the design in 1931. This typical wind turbine stands 100 feet and 50 feet wide. Vertical axis wind turbines are uses less today.

How Wind Power Plants Produce Electricity?

Wind power plants or farms are used to produce electricity. Usually a wind farm is having dozens of wind machines scattered on a large area. The world’s largest wind farm is the Horse Hollow Wind Energy in Texas and that have 421 wind turbines from which enough electricity is generated that can power 220,000 homes per year.

Government does not own many of wind plants. Business people who sell the electricity, which is produced on wind farms, own them. These private companies are called Independent Power Producers.

Wind Energy

Air in motion is called wind. Uneven heating of the Earth’s surface generates wind. As Earth’s surface is made of very different type of land and water and it absorbs sun’s heat at different rates.

The Daily Wind Cycle

 In day the air above land heats up quickly than air over water. The warm air over the land expands and rises and as cooler air is heavier it rushes to take place with this procedure wind is created. While in night its total different than day because in night air over land gets cooler quickly than air on over water.

The atmospheric winds that circles the earth are also created in same way because land near the Earth’s equator heats up more than the land near South and North Poles.

Wind Energy as Renewable Energy Source

Wind energy today is a renewable energy source because the wind will keep on blowing till the sun is shining. Wind energy mostly is used to generate electricity.

Electricity Generation from Wind

How Wind Turbines Work?

Old-fashioned windmills, which are now called wind turbines, collect the wind’s kinetic energy through their blades. The wind strikes over the blades creating lift, like the effect on airplane wings that cause the blades to turn. The blades are connected with a shaft drive, which turns an electronic generator to manufacture electricity.

The problem still persists that what to do when wind is not blowing. For that it is said to use other type of power plants for producing electricity.

Wind Production In United States

In 2008, wind machines generated 1.3% of the total U.S. electricity generation and that total generation in figures was 52 billion kilowatt-hours. Though it is a small contribution in the Nation’s total electricity production even then it was enough electricity to serve 4.6 million households or to power the entire state of Colorado.

In recent years electricity generation from wins is growing rapidly. From 2006 to 2008 power generation from win in United States had been doubled.

Through new technologies the cost of producing electricity from wind is being decreased and also growth in wind power has been encouraged by tax breaks for renewable energy and green pricing programs. 

For supporting renewable energy sources technologies there are many utilities around the country offer green pricing options which allows the customers to pay more for the electricity that comes from renewable energy sources.