Installing your own homemade wind turbine is an environmentally friendly way of obtaining the energy you require to meet your household needs.
By supplying your own energy you can drastically reduce your power bills.
In recent years it has become very popular to build your own, rather than opting for the more expensive professional installation.
What exactly is a wind turbine? Firstly the terminology can sometimes be confusing.
You may find when undertaking your research that you will come across such terms as 'wind turbine', 'windmill' or 'wind generator'.
You will find these terms being used interchangeably but they are different entities.
To explain; a wind turbine is a structure comprised of a steel tubular stand with one to three rotational blades at the top.
These turbines work on the simple principle that the wind turns the blades around.
When these rotational blades rotate they are extracting the energy from the wind and directly producing mechanical energy.
As the rotational blades rotate the mechanical energy produced spins the 'generator' located within the turbine shaft and it is this that produces electricity.
Whereas the 'windmill' uses the mechanical energy it produces directly to grind materials or to pump water.
It does not usually produce electricity.
Information I am sure that you have seen these giant wind turbine structures as you journey around your country.
They are dotted on many different landscapes the world over.
You can't miss them! The turbine tubular tower structures that are on wind farms range from 25 m to 80m in height and the rotor blades diameter can be up to 65 meters.
The three-bladed turbine is used most commonly because it minimizes fatigue.
Sensors are present to monitor wind direction.
If the wind direction changes a mechanism turns the head of the structure so that the blades are always in the wind.
Are there different types of turbines? Firstly the 'orientation' can differ.
There are two different types of axis: horizontal and vertical axis.
As their names suggests these are quite self explanatory.
On horizontal axis turbines the blades rotate along a horizontal axis.
Whilst for vertical axis turbines the blades rotate along a vertical axis.
It is more common to use the horizontal axis structures because they are more efficient.
Whilst we are all familiar with the large turbines in farms a new trend is sweeping through suburbia.
Environmentalists and the budget conscious among us are becoming aware of the growth of the homemade wind turbine These are not being professionally installed but are being built at home to use at home.
Why is this happening? What advantages does this provide to home owners? Cost effective Once it is installed it is an extremely cost-effective method of producing electricity.
It produces free energy from the world around us.
It is now possible to build one for less than $200.
Environmentally friendly They do not require fossil fuels, they do not emit harmful gases or affect the environment in any way.
Independence They also provide the home owner with their own independent power supply.
Not only is this a free source of energy but it provides the home owner with the option of obtaining independence from their power supplier.
What you absolutely must know when installing a domestic wind turbine.
Not undertaking correct research is the first step to failure.
You have to go about this in the correct way.
You absolutely need to be aware of the following; o The installation site must be of at least one acre in area.
o The average wind speed needs to be around 11 miles per hour.
o The tower and the base need to be extremely sturdy.
There are currently a large number of blueprints available to download and during my research I have had the chance to review a large number of these.
You can start building your own homemade wind turbine today.