Constructing a Windmill to Make Electricity

By Pam Eisenberg

With ever-increasing utility costs, knowing how to make a windmill for electricity to accommodate a home's energy needs can be a smart decision to make. Over the years and decades, engineers and others quickly began to realize that harnessing the wind's potential energy to turn an electrical generator showed great promise. The refinement and improvements to these wind-driven power plants continues even today. Some are massive in size, while many more are of small, efficient and personal dimensions.

Wind Power Today: Windmill production techniques are vastly improved these last few decades. This serves to also make a good windmill cheaper and cheaper all the time. And home-built kits are less-expensive still. And as they've become less-costly, they've also become more efficient, and can oftentimes power a whole house. A factory-built unit may be high-priced, but many windmills can be made for as little as two-hundred dollars. If you're an intelligent owner, you'll look at the possibilities in using one.

Take Your Time to Make it Right: Find a thorough set of blueprints and how-to pictures and instructions. They're very common in most home improvement stores. Also, go by the directions, and make sure the proper tools are employed. Building a windmill is well within the capability of most do-it-yourselfers, but don't speed through the project. Because they're not very expensive, most of the parts and components are pretty cheap or even free, sometimes. Don't be conned into buying something too expensive.

Windmill Components: Windmills have only a few basic components. All will have a fan system of some type, usually with several blades. The best ones have a radius of about four feet. These fans are connected to a motor that generates direct current (DC). The fan and motor sits atop a small tower, about seven to fifteen feet above the ground. Also, ensure a rudder's been connected to the rear of the motor. This will enable the fan to always face into the wind, as the motor rotates on its axis.

Storing Generated Power: After the motor generates the power, it needs to be collected for later use. Usually, batteries serve this function. Once power is stored in those batteries, it's used for household appliance or other uses in the home.

DC to AC Power Conversion: All mills need to use what's called an "inverter." This device converts the wind-generated DC power over to usable household AC (alternating current) power. Also, make sure a controller module is used. It prevents the batteries from being overcharged by the DC motor.

Power Monitoring: Purchase a small meter which shows the amount of battery power available for use at any given time. This unit will show the power in the batteries and also while its being drawn upon to power the house's electrical needs.

System Complexity: A wind-powered household mill system can be as simple as that. You can also run it separately from the local power grid, or use it to supplement the power you derive from electricity power lines and the like. Also, tying in solar panels to the windmill system can help you make and store power on windless days. At the very least a good windmill-power storage-power conversion and monitoring system will lessen the cost of purchasing electricity by a significant amount.

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