DIY wind generator - Things to remember

Here are some basic tips to remember when you are building your homemade DIY wind generator.

Generator Tower

You need to be sure that the tower is sturdy enough to hold your structure under the highest winds that are recorded in your area. A good idea is to look up the previous maximum wind velocity over the past year because you do not want your structure collapsing. Also remember to allow the tower to pivot at least 270% so that it will move with the changes in wind direction.


Windmill Tail

If your tail is not big enough then your wind generator will not be able to rotate with the changing wind direction. You can even sand the edges a bit to make it more wind dynamic.


Blades

Wind velocity determines the amount of blades you should have.

• High winds = Less blades
• Low winds = More blades

HINT: Be sure to attach the blades at an angle and if possible with a slight twist to the blades themselves, this increases efficiency.


Generator (battery)

As a basic rule of thumb remember this formula:

The higher the voltage of the generator then the bigger the rotor needs to be.

You can relate this to different sized cars and fuel consumption. The bigger the car the more fuel it consumes because it has a higher energy demand.


Build your own windmill

If you seriously want to build your own windmill then I am telling you now to have a look at the link I have at the top/right of the screen. It will show you diagrams and a link to the best instruction manual you can find.

Using the right windmill plans

You can definitely make your homemade wind generator but I can not stress enough the importance of using correct windmill plans! If you attempt to make a windmill without any plans then you will have a long haul ahead of you and lots of trial and error and money down the drain. So what should you look for from a windmill plan?

Basic parts
The first thing your plans should have is a list of parts that you need. The basic parts that you are looking at are the windmill tower, blades, rotor and battery.

Reliable building materials
The materials that you use to build the parts need to be realistic for a homemade option opposed to an industrial wind generator. Generally these materials include balsa wood, PVC piping and possibly tarp. It does depend on your situation but a reliable windmill plan will point out what materials to use for each situation.

Outdoor conditions
You need to understand how the outdoor conditions such as wind speed, temperature and humidity affect the efficiency of your windmill because you need to make a completely different structure in different conditions.

Budget
How much is each part/material going to cost and how much money are you going to potentially save on your electricity bill. For a good resource to explain this I recommend looking at the link at the top/right of this screen.