wind generator

Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators How They Work

Daniel asks…

Where can gold be used in wind turbines?

The main parts of a wind turbine is the blades, the rotor, the generator, the tail and the tower. But where (and how) can “gold” be used in one of these parts (or others) when the properties of gold is put into consideration?
Thank you for your answer, but if you HAVE to use gold in a wind turbine where would you use it?

admin answers:

Gold are good conductor of electricity, and sometimes it will alloy it with copper for semiconductor devices, gold are not good in turbine blades or same, because of the brittleness against high torque force, it is also not advisable in generators and rotors, they are not enough to produce magnitic force to convert it into electrical energy, it also not advisable in the construction of the tail and the tower, you need enough strength to the carry the whole weight of the wind mill, and the most number one reason is……………. It is too expensive to construct a huge wind turbine made of gold

John asks…

How can i do a wind generator that creat electricity for a science fair project?

Hi, my teacher told me to create a wind generator for my science fair.Its not only doing the wing generator,no, i have to make electricity with it, like i get a bulb and it had to turn on with out batteries, only with the wing thing.Can someone give me like a web page or something that could help me please. HELP!!!!!

admin answers:

I think you mean wind turbine. A wind generator would generate wind, ie, an electric fan.

Look on line, there are dozens of possibilities. Search google for “school wind turbine”. Below link is one of the results.

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Your Questions About Wind Generators For Home

Thomas asks…

How do I make home made power?

How do I make home made electricity with solar power or a wind generator? I’ve been looking into using wind and solar energy to power my home, reduce electricity consumption and lower my carbon footprint. I’ve looked into solar hot water systems and home wind generators, but what’s the most efficient way to reduce my energy consumption?

admin answers:

Wind generators and solar panels can be expensive, and can take years before they pay for themselves. Often it uses so much CO2 to make a solar panel or wind generator that they can actually increase your carbon foot print, not reduce it. I’ve found that the best way to create home made power is from home made equipment, it’s actually surprisingly straight forward and a fraction of the cost. I used this guide: http://tinyurl.com/ljyok7 to create a simple wind generator which has seen my energy costs drastically reduced.

Sandy asks…

Grid tie-in Home Wind Generator, have you any knowledge of this?

I’m investigating the feasability of installing a grid tie-in home wind generator. Has anyone here installed one of these systems into their home‘s power system?

It’s my understanding that you can install a new power meter to allow for “net metering” or reversing of the numbers by the created power from the generator, thereby saving money or reducing your monthly power bill.

admin answers:

There is lots of information on the Internet. In California, you can get net metering. There are some sticking points. The tower has to be at least 60 feet tall. My neighbors would not like that at all.

It is true that you probably will not get a big enough unit to supply all your power, with a surplus.

Think twice about batteries. If one has net metering, the only value of batteries is during power outages. Batteries cost a bundle, need to be maintained, need occasional replacement, and eat up part of the power you produce. I elected not to have batteries on my photovoltaic solar system

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Your Questions About Wind Turbine Generators Wiki

Ruth asks…

How does a Vertical Axis Wind turbine work?

i am writing a report and i need to know how the generator on a VAWT works please thanks ~William~

admin answers:

Each vertical vane is an airfoil (airplane wing) that generates lift as air passes by it. This lift is changed into rotational torque because of the position of the vane with respect to the vertical axle.
See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vertical_axis_wind_turbine

Laura asks…

How does a wind turbine work?

I need to know for a science project.

admin answers:

Yay. Science projects are a lot of fun, so I wish you luck with yours. 🙂

A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger.

There is a ton of info on the sites that are pasted below.

Http://www.wisegeek.com/how-do-wind-turbines-work.htm
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/65/1/How-wind-turbines-work.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wind_turbine
http://science.howstuffworks.com/environmental/green-science/wind-power.htm

the first three seemed to be most helpful.
Good Luck 😉

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Your Questions About Wind Generators

Paul asks…

What is a good web site to share my wind generator design?

I have built my own wind generator and i need some feedback on what people thing of my design. Do you know of any web sites where i can share it?

admin answers:

Awea.com

American Wind Energy Association

Donna asks…

What size wind generator do I need to replace my electricity-winter 800kwh summer 2400kwh?

I live in a very windy place and would like to consider a wind generator – I don’t know how to figure out what output I would need – my electric usage monthly varies from 800KWh in winter to 2400KWh in summer.

admin answers:

The quick answer is 2400kwh would probably need close to a 20kw generator but if you want to get an average for the year maybe 1600kwh average you might get away with 10kw.
Very windy is a relative term so you will need to look at a wind map. Go to http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp and select your state and then find your area.
You will need to take that information and check it against a power curve for different wind turbines. This is one for a few turbines in the 10 to 20kw range. Http://www.windturbine.net/performance.htm This will give you an annual output for this brand of wind turbine. If you look at the chart the left column is the 20 and the far right is the 10 and notice how different the outputs are from just 12 to 15 mph wind speed, that is why an accurate wind speed is important.
Also I don’t know about your place but where I live we have much better winds in the winter than summer so for me average through the year is what I go by.

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Your Questions About Wind Generators For Home

Steven asks…

Is wind power generator at home really work ?

I heard about wind power generator and I want to make a wind power generator to power things in my house. Although I am not sure where to find good information. I want to save money. Is there any reliable information on how to make wind power generator at home?

admin answers:

I made mine wind power generator and its saving me some good money 🙂 I use it to power various things inside and outside my house. I found the best source of info for this at:

http://homemadeenergyreviews.blogspot.com/

David asks…

how can i make a wind generator for home use ?

i want to make a wind generator in my home to use it to open lamb tv and so on how can i make it ?

admin answers:

It isn’t necessarily easy to make a wind generator at home, but it’s certainly possible. I’m slowly gathering supplies to build one myself for the fun of it.

Here are some links from my bookmarks.

Http://www.otherpower.com/
http://www.scoraigwind.com/pmgbooklet/itpmg.pdf

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Your Questions About Wind Generators

Lisa asks…

Can you use a car alternator to build a wind generator?

I am very interested in trying to build my own small wind generator, I seen that you basically need a alternator, blades to build the fan, cabling and a battery. So could you use a car alternator and also how many 12V batterys would you need?
I think that was a little rude, judging by what you posted you seem to be a all around d*ck!

But thanks to the others who replied, you info was very helpful. thanks again.

admin answers:

You may have better success with an alternator with the field coils replaced with permanent magnets and the regulator removed. This will maximize the voltage output and allow you to regulate the voltage at the battery bank. The less electronics and other items to break up the tower the more reliable the system will be.

You should use deep cycle batteries, not automotive starting batteries. The number of batteries will depend upon the voltage your system operates, power capacity of the generator, and size of inverters. Do not go overboard with too many batteries or the generator will never be able to fully charge them.

There is someone near me who is building the blades with PVC pipe. He uses it to turn a permanent magnet DC motor to act as the generator. I’ll try to find his web page later.

I’m hoping to get back to my wind generator project shortly. It’s been tied up in municipal bylaws and idiotic permits…
Visit my web page for ideas.
Http://members.rennlist.org/warren/wind.html

Michael asks…

How to build a wind generator for a sailboat?

Does anyone have good plans for a small 24″ three blade wind generator ?

admin answers:

Hi,

You can try this set of plans :

http://www.agua-luna.com/wind_gene.html

But it will be good if you spray a protecting coating on it for make it marine grade.

The following steps were taking directly out of that DIY guide I offer to those who would like to run their homes on wind power safely, reducing their monthly utility bills or even selling power back the electrical companies.

“This manual is based on using a 260 VDC, 5 A continuous duty Treadmill Motor with a 6 inch threaded hub. These motors are available for under $50 from most motor surplus stores. We are getting about 7 amps in a 30 mph wind. In other words, it is a simple, cheap little machine to get you started. ”

“ASSEMBLY
1.Place the motor on top of the square tubing & bolt it in, using the two 5/16” x ¾” bolts.
2.Place the diode on the square tubing, about 2” behind the motor, & screw it into position using the self-tapping metal screw.
3.Connect the black wire coming out of the motor to the positive incoming terminal of the diode (Labeled AC on the positive side).
4.Connect the red wire coming out of the motor to the negative incoming terminal of the diode (Labeled AC on the negative side).
5.Center the tail over the square tubing, at the back end. Clamp your tail onto the side of the square tubing.
6.Using 2 self-tapping screws, screw the tail in place.
7.Place each blade on the hub so that all the holes line up. Using the ¼” bolts & washers, bolt the blades to the hub. For the inner three holes, use two washers per bolt, one on each side of the blade. For the outer three holes, just use one washer next to the head of the bolt. Tighten.
8.Hold the end of the shaft of the motor (which comes through the hub) firmly with pliers, & turn the hub counterclockwise until it tightens & stops.
9.Screw the nipple tightly into the floor flange using a pipe wrench.
10.Clamp the nipple in a vice so that the floor flange is facing up & level.
11.Place the square tubing (and everything that is on it) on top of the floor flange & move it so that it is perfectly balanced.
12.Through the holes of the floor flange, mark the square tubing at the point of balance.
13.Drill these two holes using a 5/32″ drill bit. You will probably have to take off the hub & tail to do this).
14.Attach the square tubing to the floor flange with two sheet metal screws.
For a longer life span of your wind generator, you should paint the blades, motor sleeve, mount & tail.”

Hope this helped, feel free to contact me personally if you have any questions if you’d like assistance in making your first self sufficient steps, I’m willing to walk you step by step threw the process. I’ve written several how-to DIY guides available at www agua-luna com on the subject. I also offer online & on-site workshops, seminars & internships to help others help the environment.

Dan Martin
Alterative Energy / Sustainable Consultant, Living 100% on Alternative & Author of How One Simple Yet Incredibly Powerful Resource Is Transforming The Lives of Regular People From All Over The World… Instantly Elevating Their Income & Lowering Their Debt, While Saving The Environment by Using FREE ENERGY… All With Just One Click of A Mouse…For more info Visit:

www AGUA-LUNA com

Good luck.

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Your Questions About Wind Generators

Sandy asks…

How do I build a homemade wind generator?

Wondered if anyone knew how to build a simple homemade wind generator to power our home? A homemade wind generator that is not too complicated would be good. Do you know how to build a wind generator? Please help us.Thanks

admin answers:

The first thing you need to do is figure out how big of a wind generator you need. Most wind generators that are over 1000 watts in generating power are quite a bit more difficult to build. You will need to have your wind generator 15 feet above any obstruction within 300 feet. That is a must.
Some great resources exist but probably reading an article or two about building wind generators would help a lot. Try the resource I listed for a very informative article, there is mention of a website in the article where you can find some great wind generator plans too. Hope this helps, we have built 3 wind generators so far with these plans.

Mandy asks…

What are the purpose of the magnets in a wind generator?

In a wind generator there are several trapezoid magnets around the shaft of the prop, what are the purpose of these?

admin answers:

Electricity can be generated by moving a conducting wire so that it cuts through a magnetic field.
In short electricity from magnetism and motion.
Most electricity-generating systems involve rotating coils of wire in a magnetic field.
There are many ways of causing the coils to rotate:
Wind power:- wind generators
Water power:- water hitting a water wheel (turbine) causing it to rotate – hydroelectricity
Nuclear power:- heat generated in a nuclear reaction is used to produce a jet of steam which again hit a turbine causing it to rotate.
Oil, gas and coal could be used as alternatives to produce the jet of steam.
Finally rather than the coils of wire rotating some systems cause the magnets to rotate – as long as there is relative motion between the coils and the magnetic field either will do.

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Your Questions About Wind Generators Cost

Chris asks…

Anyone have a formula for cost-benefit analysis of buying a windmill for power generation?

I live in an area where a power company uses wind generators successfully. I’d be looking at about a 1.8 kw generator in an area where electricity is expensive. Initial cost is $13K. Would I be better off waiting a couple of years for newer, better, cheaper wind generators?

admin answers:

1.8kW wind generator… Running at 25% load produces 1.8kW * 0.25 * 24hours/day * 365days = 3942kWh/year.

Let’s make that 4000kWh. You can probably sell that electricity for $0.07/kWh. Makes a total income of $280/year.

5% annual interest on $13000 is $650. Yep, you are going to lose roughly $370 per year… Not counting running cost for repairs etc.

Sounds like a great business proposition? I don’t think so.

If you are just offsetting your own consumption and electricity prices are around $0.15/kWh, you might just brake even. Barely…

In general I would not think that wind below 250kW is a good investment. Try 10MW+ wind parks and you are probably talking about a sound business model.

And some people simply want to do their share to improve global warming. They don’t need to be concerned about the financial downside. If you are one of them, go for it. It will make you feel a lot better.

Mary asks…

What type of boat incurs the lowest maintenance cost?

I would love to own a boat, but the more I talk to people who do, the more I get the impression that it is a frightfully expensive hobby to have. There must be boats that are very low maintenance though. What are they? Am I right in thinking that, theoretically, an aluminium launch with an electric motor and wind generators would be the least expensive kind of boat to own?

admin answers:

Boats are expensive to keep in good/safe working order. The smaller the boat, the lower the maintenance cost. The bigger the boat the higher the cost. Also, don’t forget about the “Property Tax” that’s paid every year on the boat too. On my 26′ Express Cruiser, annual maintenance is $600 and the tax is $550 per year.

The least expensive boat to own is an inflatable from Walmart with oars. See below.

I also own a 60′ Motor Yacht. It’s a great live aboard and I’m self sufficient in the event of a major earthquake here in CA. You don’t want to know my costs on that yacht! Plus I can travel to lots of places.

BTW, boating isn’t a hobby. It’s a LIFESTYLE!

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Your Questions About Wind Generators Home Use

Linda asks…

How to make a wind power generator at home?

I want to make a wind power generator to power things in my house. I want it to be able to power a small tv and DVD player.

admin answers:

To make this you will need a few things.
The generator, blades battery and inverter.

I have made three of them and I use them to power various things outside like lighting, pool pump and tv.

The best source of info for this is http://www.earth4energy.com. Thats where I got my blade designs from and learnt how to wire it up.. Its saving me some good money 🙂

William asks…

how would I make a wind generator?

I would like plans to make a wind generator for my home to run a few lights during a storm.

admin answers:

A motor is an electrical device that turns electrical energy into mechanical energy. I really don’t think that is what you’re after. You want to turn mechanical into electrical, right? Okay, in old cars, before they had alternators, they had generators. Snag one of these at a junk yard. It will charge a 12 volt DC battery. I have never done this, I am just theorizing as I type. Anywho, campers use 12 volt DC lighting as a back up. Heck even the fridges run on 12v, propane, NG, or AC. In theory, fabricate blades to this generator, with a voltage regulator and there you go. Actually, here is what I do. I used camping lighting that burns clean fuel and flashlights, but if you simply had an inverter, you could actually run a few things via you car. Another suggestion, a more serious one. Look at the way they make campers so self sufficient. 2 lighting systems, where one runs on AC and the other DC of 12 volt batteries. Not a bad idea for your house? They have there own battery charger, which you could put in your house, that keeps these batteries full whenever you are plugged into AC. Add a 12 volt light system to your storm center, add a camping stove with a small portable tank, vent the area. This stove could cook and serve as a source of heat. Get the fridge that runs on anything, what else do you need? Oh yeah, plans for a wind generator. Dragonfly Wind Generator. That’s what you are in need of. Perfect for residential.

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Your Questions About Wind Generators Ebay

Donna asks…

how can you make a wind powered generator with solar panels as back up?

I am in the process of building a wind powered generator and I want to put on some solar panels on it as a back up source of energy. So pleas HELP!!!!!!

admin answers:

Hi, This is a good question and I have your answer, This is a very simple thing to do you can buy all your materials in any store as simple as using a 6″ PVC Tube to make the blades for your wind generator. E-bay has a lot of DC Generators that are good to use as a wind generator. I bought a guide named earth4energy and they show how to make a wind generator in 3 simple steps. You can find this guide at : www.greenproductsolutionpr.com and also a lot of information about renewable energy.

Steps to make a wind generator :

Definitions:

Generator:
This wind turbine transforms wind power into electricity, with the use of an A DC Motor that generates the power to spin the blades,
Options include:
 Electric lawn mower motors that have been recycled.
 All motors made by Ametek.
 Alternators with a permanent magnet (car alternators).

In order to find a DC motor you can check eBay, or look for inexpensive power tools. Drills, screwdrivers and other tools are a great way to find inexpensive DC motors although they do not generate much energy they are great for smaller projects. A great DC motor/generator is the Ametek 30VDC as pictured below. I purchased this DC motor for about $50 from ebay.

Http://www.earth4energy.com/recommends/ebay-ametekwindgenerators.php

Blades:

building PVC blades from an old pipe please watch our instruction video from the members page.
 Acquire a 6-inch wide, 24-inch long PVC pipe.
 Quarter the piece of pipe around its circumference, cutting it lengthwise into four pieces (diagram on the next page).

This is only a preview of the step-step guide that they include in their package for more information please visit : www.greenproductsolutionpr.com

I can share with you more information because is a copyright information

Robert asks…

Will a 90v DC motor produce a good amount of power as a wind generator?

I just bought it on eBay a bit ago. It is the size of a blower motor and has a built in magnet. Will I get a sufficient amount of wattage and amps?

admin answers:

It would depend on the rpms. Also, how many amps is the motor?

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