Build Wind Generator » Build Wind Turbine

Wind Turbine Efficiency

buildwindgenerator — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 07:27:00 +0000

Wind power is one of the cleanest sources to get electricity. To get large scale energy from wind, wind farms are used. What can we tell about wind turbine efficiency today?

To find out how efficient wind turbines or actually wind farms are, you need to know how they work. The wind turbines accumulate the power of the wind in two steps: the propeller blades are rotated by the wind, and the propeller then drives a shaft. This spinning shaft is connected to a generator. The rotating action cranks the generator, and this is the way the electricity is generated. Actually the system is very like hydropower, but in this case the wind is the energy source rather than falling water. With only one wind turbine you will not get really much electricity and these smaller turbines are meant to power one or maybe a couple of houses.

photo credit: thedailyenglishshow

The strength in wind farms is the combination of many wind turbines in one district, which all are working together to produce electricity. The energy can then be used by communities through existing utility grids or stored in batteries. Modern wind turbines can also turn to catch the wind as it gusts from different angles, a factor which makes them far more efficient than before. The larger the turbine’s blades and the taller the turbine’s height will increase the efficiency as well. This is important to keep in mind when you are planning to build wind generator.

The accurate efficiency of wind farms is very difficult to define. This is because there are that many variables that are unknown or hard to predict. The terrain, amount of wind, size of turbines and so on are variables that always differ. Often, one wind mill will convert about 21 percent of the power in wind to electricity. The most efficient production is between 6 and 19 miles an hour of wind speed.

While wind technology has not went to a point where no energy is lost while harnessing it, it is fair to say that it is favorable compared to other renewable sources. It may take a while for the whole world to catch on to using wind as a power source. The fact is that it has definitely become an important alternative energy source. Countries such as Denmark and China are absolutely investing a lot into this kind of renewable energy.

Proven Wind Turbines

buildwindgenerator — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:03:47 +0000

What are proven wind turbines? As the history of wind power goes all the way back to 200 B.C and the they were simple wind mills built upon the horizontal axis principle I would say that they are proven.

The horizontal axis wind turbines are still the most common type of wind power generator. There is a generator and a central rotator handle at the head of the tower. These need to be positioned into the wind; otherwise they will not produce any power.

photo credit: Eidoloon

A wind vane is normally enough for this idea when we talk about small turbines, but when we turn to large turbines, there should be a servo motor together with a wind sensor helping the construction point into the right wind direction. The rotation of the blades is managed by a gearbox which extends the rotational speed of the blades when there is a need for that.
The turbine is normally pointed against the wind to cover up for the turbulence made by the tower. There are downwind machines that are built to fight the issue with turbulence. Those constructions often use an additional device to keep the windturbine in line with the wind. This is to avoid damages caused by extremely high winds.

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Build a Homemade Wind Turbine

buildwindgenerator — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 07:02:43 +0000

Ok, you have thoughts about how to build a homemade wind turbine. With the right instructions it’s not a very complicated work.

This is a small list of “think-about” things when you are starting your first wind energy project. It’s a random list and more of an idea list than a step by step that you find in your instructions material.

Check that you have the right tools.
Be sure to have enough workspace.
Do you have the right material
Have you checked the wind maps where you live?
Do you need any permission for your construction?
Do you know anyone to partner up with? It’s more fun when you can build in a team or at least discuss the project with someone else interested (maybe not your spouse).
Could I build several of these wind turbines and start selling them for an additional income?
Be sure to know how much you are going to save on your energy bills with this project. This is a great help if you get stuck and think it’s difficult. You build it once and then you save money for years to come.

Building a homemade wind turbine is both fun and rewarding.

Build a Mini Wind Turbine

buildwindgenerator — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 06:23:32 +0000

What would you say if your neighbor mentioned she was going to build a mini wind turbine? Surprised? To be honest, it is not hard to build such wind generators and homeowners over the country are going for the challenge to make their own electricity. Naturally this is one way to utilize renewable energy. There are some challenges in building such a system but if you find the right instructions you can do it pretty easy.

photo credit: a L p

There is lot of information on the Internet about how to build wind generators but as always with Internet, you don’t know what works and what don’t. My recommendation is to buy an instruction manual to follow. Then you know it will work and maybe most important; you get a guarantee that it will work.

There are a few basic parts in a wind turbine. These are the batteries, turbines, tail and propeller or blades. Yes, you will need some tools but they are simple as well. You need a saw, wrenches and a drill. Then you might need some place where you build the windmill or you can even choose to build it in your garden.

The part that you probably have to purchase is the motor. You can find suitable motors on EBay or similar sites. You could also start with a used one but that might not be the proper way to start out. If there is a problem you will not know if it is caused by the motor.

How much time do I need? Well, it depends on many things but the answer is usually not much. This isn’t a complicated process and most of the time is really for finding the components you decide to use when you build wind generator or turbine.

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Build Wind Turbine Blades

buildwindgenerator — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 11:30:56 +0000

When we are talking about how to build wind turbine blades, this picture might not be relevant. We have to start with something a bit smaller.

photo credit: sbwoodside

What materials are suitable for the blades?

A PVC pipe is an easy and affordable way to go. You can build these blades yourself but the downside is the efficiency.

The best and most effective blades you get from plastic composite carbon fiber. These are more expensive but in the long run, what you should go for. With this kind of blades you can often get lifetime guarantees as the usually never crack. As the blades are pre-built you save some time in the building phase.

Many still prefer to make the turbine blades from wood. The reasons are that it’s easy to work with and quite inexpensive. The strength to weight ratio is great and if maintained, they can last for a very long time. The Cedar tree is one favorite for homemade wind turbine blades but there are also blades made from Pine and Spruce.