How to Build a Wind Generator Tower

The answer to the world's energy needs may be blowing in the wind. To harness this free natural energy source to power your home, you need to place a wind turbine where it can catch the most wind: on a tower. Towers are often the most expensive component of a wind system, so you can save money by building your own tilt-up tower.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tilt-up tower kit
• Sections of tubular steel pipe
• Guy wires
• Anchors
• Ground rod and clamp
• Electrical wire
• Wire connectors
• Pipe insulation
• Electrical tape
• Wind turbine

1. Site your tower in a location with plenty of room. Tilt-up towers need an open level space large enough to lay the tower down and have guy wires supporting the tower at a radius 35 to 60 percent of the tower's height.

2. Figure the height and strength of the tower needed. The tip of the lowest blade on your wind turbine should be at least 30 feet (9 m) above the any obstacle within 500 feet (150 m). Obstacles such as buildings, hills and trees cause wind turbulence, which slows down the wind and reduces your power. The tower needs to be strong enough to hold up in stormy weather.

3. Purchase a tower kit from a reputable sustainable energy dealer. Most kits include assembly instructions, tower base, wire sets, clamps, nuts and bolts. Other items can be purchased locally to save shipping costs, including the tubing for the tower and gin pole, anchors and wires.

4. Layout the tower, base and anchors, and assemble the tower on the ground. Attach the turbine to the tower, and run electrical wires down the length of the tower.

5. Install guy wire anchors. Use an anchor type that works well with soil at the location; buried concrete for sand and loose gravel, auger for loam, duckbill for clay and rocky soil, or expansion bolts for rock. Attach the guy wires to anchors.

6. Attach the gin pole to the tower base. Connect snap links and cables to the pole, and raise it to a vertical position. Attach the tower to the base.

7. Raise the tower by pulling the rope, attached to the gin pole, towards the side anchor for the gin pole. Watch that the tower remains straight, and adjust guy wires if you notice bends in the tower. When the tower nears a vertical position, pull the gin pole to the ground and pull the cable through the guy wire anchor.

8. Adjust all the guy wires until they are just taunt, and make sure that all the clamps are tight.

Tips & Warnings

• Perform tower assembly on a calm day to prevent having to fight the wind to erect the tower.
• Use the gravity and the wind to help you raise the tower. If constructing the tower on a slant, place the tower uphill. If there is a breeze, construct the tower towards the breeze.
• Personal injury, death or damage to the equipment could result from not having the guy wires properly adjusted when raising the tower.
• Keep clear of fall spaces when raising and lowering the tower.

Resources

• The American Wind Energy Association's website offers many resources for people interested in wind power.
• The U.S. Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website is full of good information and resources on wind power.