You Can Build A Wind Turbine by Yasmin Wilde

by: Yasmin Wilde

More and more people who like to dabble in DIY projects for the home, are enjoying the satisfaction of discovering how to build a wind turbine. It is possible, with a little know-how, to harness the power of the wind and generate enough electricity for the average family home. One turbine should be enough to power a house if it is located in a very windy area. Many families are learning how enjoyable it is to build a wind turbine, and then there's the additional benefits of a lifetime of free power. All the parts can be found on the Internet, or local hardware store, and then, armed with instructions, your DIY project is on track and you'll be harnessing free energy in no time.

This list of item should get you started when you come to build you wind turbine:

1. A rotor made from propellor blades
2. A swivel mount for your rotor
3. A 20m tower to mount it on to
4. A generator
5. Batteries for storage and a control box.

Besides the materials needed for your wind turbine, you will also want a family garage or workshop. The average family home will have most of the tools and equipment you will need. Find out if you have all of these tools in the workshop: wire strippers, a tape measure, marker pen, drill and bits, a jigsaw with a metal blade, a screwdriver, vise or clamp, wrench and an assistant would be very handy. The level of this project is high school, so why not involve the kids as well?

If you're feeling up to it, you can build the generator from scratch, but you can use a permanent magnet DC motor instead. If you can find one, a computer tape drive motor will also work.

It can be quite rewarding to build your own wind turbine and able to be tackled in a weekend. Tracking down the parts should be no problem. Your local hardware supplier, or junk yard should provide all the bits and pieces, with Ebay for everything else.

Yasmin Wilde loves exploring new technologies and sharing new discoveries. Check out her renewable energy resources site www.diyenergies.com for pertinent information on DIY solar, wind and biodiesel projects.

Visit the author's web site at: http://www.diyenergies.com