Clean Diesel

Life can be tough sometimes and you may be looking for ways to make it easier and less expensive. Since energy, especially electricity is one of your more costly everyday expenses, wouldn’t it be great if you could tap into the renewable energy that is all around you? Wind energy is already benefiting much of the world, so why can’t you take advantage of it, too? All you need is a wind generator. But do you know how to build a wind generator?

Good question. Here are some tips to guide you:

- Location, location, location. You will need an open area with at least a three hundred to four hundred foot radius. You also need to watch for any obstacles overhead since the tower can reach 30 to 40 feet high. A tilt-up tower is best for low areas since they are closer to the ground. This also makes them easier to maintain. However, a free standing tower will maximize the output since it is taller and has fewer obstructions.

- Secondly, focus on the materials needed, first of which is the motor, which converts the wind energy. It is a must to find a DC motor that is intended for high voltage, with low rpms, and high current.

- Then comes the blades of the wind generator, which can be carved from plastic, wood, sheet metal or you could also use PVC pipes. Note that the longer the blades are, the wider its swept area covered, meaning the more power it can extract from the wind.

- Now you need to connect the blades to the motor using a hub. One of the simplest ways is to look for a scrap steel disk that you can drill holes in. Attach this to a shaft that will connect the blades.

- Finally, you need to attach a tail and pivot to your windmill to keep it turned to the wind. You can do this with some square tubing and pipe nipple, a flange for the pivot, and some scrap sheet metal for the tail.

- After setting up your wind generator, one more important step must be covered and that is the battery. Batteries are essential basically because it is where the converted energy is stored. Keep the batteries close to the generator as much as possible to monitor the charging, and look for highly efficient batteries, which are low in maintenance.

Batteries to be used are those for power system applications are called “deep cycle,” which are rated in amp-hours and have indication of its charge-discharge cycles.

In knowing how to build a wind generator it’s best to remember that placing a diode between the battery and the generator is good in order to prevent the energy from being wasted and flowing directly onto the generator itself. Adding a secondary load is helpful as a depot for excess energy produced.

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