Use Wind Power – Build A Windmill
A windmill is a device employed to convert wind energy to useful power through the employing of a rotary motion and adjustable vanes or sails. Windmills were originally used for crushing grain however, as individuals have altered to being more involved with conserving nature and seeking sources of natural power, windmills have grown in popularity.
You might think assembling a windmill of your own is too costly but you have nothing to worry about since you can build a windmill yourself for around $200 and the long term savings a windmill will give you will be well worth it. So if you are thinking about building a windmill of your own here are a few tips for assembling a windmill around 5 feet tall.
Required Tools
Saw
Sander
Drill
Required Materials
cement and sandbags
Plastic PVC pipes
Nuts and bolts
Sails
A generator
Hub
A mounting
Batteries and an electronic control system
2×4 board
Straps
Heavy sheet aluminum
Instructions
As with a great deal of other things you can procure windmill guides or kits to reduce your work. The guides will show you step by step steps for assembling a windmill and will include a detailed menu of needed materials to construct a windmill. A windmill kit will include plans as well as all the materials you need to construct the windmill so you will require nothing but a couple tools. If however, you choose to build a windmill with no additional help then here is what you need to do.
Let’s start with the generator; some people opt to build their own generator but an easier option is to buy a permanent magnet DC motor. You need a motor that will produce good current at a low rpm level; a 30 volt motor rated at 325 rpm ought to produce around 12 volts so a motor such as this would be perfect.
For sails/blades you may purchase pre-made blades or create blades out of wood, aluminum or PVC pipe. To see just how you need to cut the PVC pipes visit one of the websites on the internet such as yourgreendream.com which will provide you precise guidelines on what to do. Once you have cut out your blades using a saw, use the sander to smooth the edges of the blades to make them even more efficient.
You will need a hub to bolt the blades to and to attach the motor to, basically any flat disk about 5 inches in diameter will do. Drill 2 holes, one below the other into the blades and drill matching holes through the hub, then use the nuts and bolts to secure the sails to the hub.
The windmill piece is now done but you need a mount to fix it to. Strap the motor to one end of the piece of 2×4 board and use a piece of PVC pipe to shelter the motor so it is shielded from rain. Lastly secure the heavy sheet aluminum to the other end of the 2×4 board to work as a tail for the windmill.
For a tower use a PVC or aluminum pipe; bury it in the ground and concrete it into place, use sandbags to furthermore secure the tower in place and then put the windmill onto the tower.
Buy a wind power control system for moving energy from the windmill to the batteries, from any Alternative Energy store. You need electrical cables to connect the windmill to the power control; run the cables from the windmill down through the tower and join it to the power controller. Now it’s time to test out your windmill.
Tip
Remember that the taller a windmill is the more wind it will catch. Therefore you want your windmill to be above any possible obstruction.