In today’s world financial climate of crisis and rapidly increasing energy prices, the necessity of alternative and renewable sources of energy and electricity in particular is becoming vital.
One of the most frequently used and widely spread methods of producing cheap, green and alternative electricity is the Wind Generator, or as it is largely known as Windmill Power Generator, or just a Windmill.
The question is – is it possible ordinary citizens to make one themselves and if yes – is it affordable? The answer of this question is yes and the cost of such project could be as low as 150 USD!
The second thing that should be taken into consideration is – is everyone capable of doing it? Well, the answer to this question has to be positive again, but some basic technical knowledge and skills are required. Providing a proper step-by-step guide is in place, of course.
Before undertaking any action on the actual built of the generator there is one very important step you need to go through, i.e. you need to know what power your wind turbine is likely to produce and will that be sufficient enough for the purpose you are intending to use it for.
Secondly – you have to make sure the area has a sufficient wind resource.
Another thing that may be an obstacle on the way is the local building regulations, i.e. if there are any height or permitting restrictions.
When all that is sorted out and in place and the size of the turbine has been determined, you can start building your windmill and start saving money on your energy bill.
Of course even if clear and easy to follow instructions are available, building a windmill requires some technical knowledge and skills, especially if you are intending to build up everything from scratch.
Here is a sample of what output can be expected from a windmill with 1m in diameter blades to produce: (ws=wind speed)
- ws 5mhp – 1W
- ws 10mph – 6W
- ws 22mph – 70W
- ws 44mph – 560W
The wind turbines are designed to work in their best with wind speeds between 3-12m/s, but 12m/s (about 25mph) speeds and above are not occurring that frequently so outputs in that range cannot be relied on.
Last but not least – the windmill also needs a reliable control system, which also can prevent it from over speeding in gales.