Saturday, September 5, 2009

Building a Wind Generator - 4 Tips Everyone Should Know

By Rocco Detweiler

Although there are many companies who will come install a wind generator for you, they can prove to be very expensive indeed. With the troubled economy many people are choosing to take the cheaper route by building their own wind generator, which is easier to do than you probably think.

One thing that you may not realize is that by building one of these yourself you may only need to spend around $100 - 200 instead of the several hundreds to thousands that these companies charge. It can also prove to be a very wise investment as your electricity bills over the next few years can be reduced by thousands of dollars.

Another thing you may not realize when it comes to building a wind generator is that many of the parts required can be purchased at your local hardware or DIY store or online. So thinking that you are going to have problems obtaining the parts that will prevent you from building it is simply not going to happen.

But before you do start building your own wind generator there are a number of things you need to take into consideration first. Below we look at just what some of these things are. If you keep these tips in mind it will help to ensure that you build a wind turbine system that will last a very long time.

Tip 1: The Base - The base of your wind generator should be one that provides enough support on which it can stand. The best material to make the base with is concrete. This will allow the supports of the wind generator to be held in place firmly no matter how strong and fast the wind blows.

Tip 2: The Tower - It is best if you can afford to construct the tower from metal, but again if money is tight then go for the thickest, strongest plywood you can. This will ensure that not only is your tower sturdy but is also able to cope with all kinds of weather conditions.

Tip 3: The Wind Blades - Make sure that the blades you make or use can move without any hindrance or friction. This in one of the most important parts of your system. In fact, you are far better off purchasing premade quality blades as this will ensure that they create enough energy for your particular needs.

Should you decide to make your own blades you should create them using PVC or plywood. It is important that the size of the blades is in equal proportion to the size of the tower you have constructed. If you make the blades too big then the tower won't be strong enough to hold them up, whilst if they are too small then they aren't going to be able to return the levels of energy that you need to power your home.

Tip 4: The Gearbox - When you are thinking of building a wind generator you need to pay close attention to what the gearbox is to be constructed from. If you use inferior quality materials or equipment this can result in the blades being unable to turn as freely as they should and so the amount of energy they produce is reduced. If you decide to buy a gearbox instead of building one, make sure you purchase a complete working gearbox that is specifically designed for installation into wind generator system.

About the Author:

No comments: