Build a wind turbine yourself
With the events of Japan, the fundamental phase-out of nuclear energy is as good as decided. It is all the more interesting for homeowners to isolate themselves more and more from the electricity companies and become self-sufficient. This is relatively easy to do with a self-made wind turbine. Build a wind turbine yourself - you can do it with manual skill and a little patience.
This incredible force of nature is a source of energy, so abundantly available and always ubiquitous. So it makes sense to make this so large available energy source usable for yourself. But be careful, no other energy source is as unpredictable as the wind.
Catch the wind with a wind turbine
- A big problem for all hobbyists is the fluctuations in the power of the wind. You calculate the performance from the mass of the air. This flows in a certain time and at a certain speed through a reference surface.
- The energy in the air can be measured from the following values: A = the area through which the wind flows, v = Wind speed, P = the power from the wind (in watts) and p = describes the density of the air (1.293 kg / m³). Since your self-built wind turbine should not only be able to withstand light breezes, but also wind speeds that are at Storms occur at speeds of up to 30 m / s, so you should first take a detailed look at wind energy.
- There are different models of wind turbines: The first variant is a frequent flyer, the so-called Western wind turbine. Because of the many blades or rotor blades, this wind turbine only has a low speed and is therefore a slow runner.
- The second variant only has two to four narrow wings that are aerodynamically shaped. This allows a higher speed to be achieved and such a wind turbine is called a high-speed runner.
- Make it clear to yourself which type of wind turbine you are going to choose, because electricity generation is not always available in the foreground, often it is just an ornament and the electricity generated is only a positive one Side effect. You can also decide whether you want to build a battery charger or a wind turbine for feeding into the grid.
- Another aspect is the ideal location. It is usually allowed to set up a wind turbine up to 10 m in height in your garden, but details of the regulations, including the permitted volume, must be obtained from your local authority. Of course, it also makes sense that there are no objects or trees around the wind turbine that would prevent the wind from hitting the wind turbine.
Build your own wind turbine - that's how it works
Wind turbines in small and large designs are part of the landscape in many ...
Build a fast runner yourself
- First, the mast for the self-built wind turbine is anchored to the ground with three steel cables and firmly anchored in the ground. The best distance to the mast is 3 m in radius. Tension the nylon ropes between the ground anchors and the wire ropes for better damping of the resulting vibrations.
- The rotor must be processed with particular care, it is better to measure several times here. That used for it wood must be very dry and hard and must only "work" a little. Ash wood or spruce or pine wood that is firmly glued together is most suitable for light rotor blades. The finished rotor should later have a length of over 2 m in diameter.
- However, in order to be able to hold the planks well with screw clamps, it is recommended that you set the plank to approx. Cut 2 m. The profile of the rotor must be worked out very precisely, otherwise an imbalance will occur later.
- You have to press in the two ball bearings on the inside and outside of the rotor head. It is difficult to weld the individual parts to be assembled. For the sake of simplicity, first weld the two angle irons to the bearing journal, then the rotor axis to the generator plate and finally weld the two together.
- The gearbox and its translation depend on the winches available. If you know a lathe operator, you could have a larger 21.8 cm diameter gear wheel with 72 teeth turned, resulting in a larger one Translation leads, only the small gear should be left unchanged, as the resulting tension becomes too strong and the toothed belt is bent too much will.
- Placing the rotor head on the mast is also not that easy. It is best if all parts except the wind vane and the rotor are already mounted on the mast.
- Only three very flexible cables are required for an electrical connection, which have to be led from the battery via the mast to the generator and then to the wind pressure switch.
Never leave the wind generator of your self-built wind turbine running without a connected battery, otherwise your wind generator could burn. The book "Wind: Strom für Haus und Hof" offers more information.
