How to Build a Simple Wind Power Generator

Wind turbine

Building your own wind turbine can seem like a daunting project, when in reality it is a straightforward and simple process. As long as the directions are followed carefully, anyone with wind speeds of 12 miles per hour or more can make a successful wind turbine that produces free, carbon neutral energy, saving the environment and money. Building a wind turbine is also a great educational project for schools.

Things You'll Need

• Toothed pulley
• Generator with high DC voltage, low RPMs and high current (Ametek: 99 volt DC motor)
• 5-inch diameter disk
• 2 pieces of large bamboo: 4 inches in diameter, 24 inches long
• 8-inch-by-14-inch heavy sheet metal
• 2-by-4 board, 2 to 3 feet long
• 1-inch diameter iron pipe
• 4 chain link fence brackets
• 1 1/4-inch diameter steel EMT electrical conduit, 10 to 30 feet long
• 1 1/4-inch tee
• Steel cables
• Steel stakes
• 1-inch pipe fittings (2)
• 12-inch long pipe nipple
• Car batteries
• Electronic control system
• 1 pint of glossy environmentally-friendly paint

Instructions

1. Make the blades from a large piece of bamboo (or a non-toxic HDPE plumbing pipe). Cut the bamboo lengthwise into thirds. Mark 6 inches up the stalk from one end. At the opposite end, starting underneath the stalk, mark a cut line (perpendicular to the previous mark) that travels around the curve of the bamboo stalk 2 inches. Cut down the stalk to the marked point at the opposite end. Sand the blades into a wing or airfoil shape.

2. Make a hub to attach the blades to. Depending on the motor, find a toothed pulley that fits on the motor shaft. If it is too small to bolt the blades onto, find a larger disk and bolt it to the pulley.

3. Drill mounting holes into the hub and blades. Bolt the blades onto the hub.

4. Paint all of the wood pieces. To make the wind tail, take the 2-by-4 and attach the motor onto it with the stalk of the bamboo/pipe to fit over the motor to protect it from rain. At the other end, it is helpful to have a tail to guide the turbine into the wind. For the tail, attach the metal sheet perpendicular to the 2-by-4.

5. Make a tower to post the turbine onto so that it is raised to catch wind. This strategy for the tower will allow the turbine to turn freely with the changing directions of the wind. Attach the floor flange underneath the 2-by-4, 7 1/2 inches away from the edge on the motor-mounted side. Screw the iron pipe nipple into the flange. Slip the iron pipe into the conduit.

6. Drill a hole through the 2-by-4 above the floor flange to feed the generator wires through the flange and down the pipe/conduit and into the base of the tower. Fasten the turbine at the top of the tower.

7. Cut a 2-foot diameter out of a sheet of wood. Use 1-inch pipe fittings to create a U-shaped piece. Put 1 1/4-inch tee, making sure that the tee is able to turn around the pipe (1 inch) and forms a hinge that enables the tower to be lowered and raised easily. Add a close nipple, a 1 1/4-inch to 1-inch reducing fitting, and the 12-inch nipple.

8. Add a 1-inch tee between the 12-inch nipple and the reducer for the wires to be able to exit the pipe.

9. Drill holes in the wooden disk to hammer steel stakes through it to lock the disk securely onto the ground. To brace the tower use four chain link fence brackets to attach steel cables to. Connect the cables to stakes and hammer them into the ground.

10. Pull the wire from the generator through to the bottom of the tower pole and out from the tee. Connect the wire to the controller (use manufacturer's instructions for wiring procedure). Next, connect the electrical cables from the controller to the battery (or batteries). All electrical loads are controlled to allow the battery to operate effectively. The controller changes the turbine power to charge the battery if the battery voltage is below 11.9 volts. The controller changes the power from the turbine into the dummy load if the voltage is 14.8 volts or above.

References

• Green Terra Firma: Do-It-Yourself Wind Turbine Project