Build Your Own Wind Turbine – How to Build a Home Made Windmill

Global warming and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels have caused people from all corners of the globe to become concerned, resulting in a long overdue interest in the potential of wind energy. On the other hand, many people have already embraced this free source of renewable energy and are already powering their homes with wind energy.

Wind Energy

Radiation from our sun heats the air which in turn rises. As this warm air rises, so cooler air sinks down to replace it, resulting in perpetual wind currents which cover the surface of our planet. Of course, wind currents have energy and when one considers how devastating a hurricane or a tornado can be, it’s all to easy to imagine what a phenomenal amount of energy can be harnessed from the wind.

Of course, for the purpose of powering your home with wind energy, we’re only interested in more moderate winds, suitable for wind turbines. In essence, a wind turbine is much the same as the old original windmill; only wind turbines incorporate technology which allows us to convert wind power into electricity

Wind Turbines

In the past, wind farms, which can sometimes be seen on the roadside, were mainly used to supply remote areas which were of the grid as well as remote farms. Nowadays however, wind turbines are becoming increasingly common even in residential areas that do receive grid supplied power. In this case, a wind turbine can either reduce your consumption of grid power or even eliminate it altogether.

In order to achieve maximum stability, all wind turbines have no less than three lightweight blades, usually made from PVC for extra durability.

As most are familiar with, a wind turbine needs to be mounted on a tower and while those used on wind farms can be more than a hundred feet high, residential towers only need to be high enough to ensure the turbine blades are above any structures which could obstruct the wind. In addition to being mounted on a tower, the blade assembly is mounted on a shaft to enable it to swivel around as the wind direction changes.

Home Wind Energy Systems

While wind turbines can come in many shapes and sizes, those which are used for powering homes are divided into three kinds:

1) Grid inter-tied with backup battery

2) Grid inter-tied without backup battery

3) Off-Grid system

Irrespective of which system you use, all three systems harness wind energy and convert it to electricity in exactly the same manner. The difference between the various systems lies in the wiring, and in the case where a battery is being used; electricity can be saved and used as and when required. In a system that has no battery, electricity is supplied directly into the home supply.

Wind turbines provide practically all homeowners with an ideal opportunity for powering the home with wind energy. Not only will you save money on electric bills, but you’ll also be helping to build a greener world.

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