When our family decided that our small solar panel array just wasn't big enough to power our off grid home we had to make some choices on what to do. Learning how to build a wind generator was not at the top of the list at first, but it soon developed into the best option.
We could either diversify our Renewable Energy System, a choice between hydro power from our small stream or put up a wind generator. We also had the option to just buy more solar panels. We decided to learn how to build a wind generator and here is why - You may want to build your own wind generator too.
There are times of the year when even a hundred solar panels and 10 times our present battery storage would not run our home. In the fall and winter the sun may not shine for weeks at a time. Thus, no power is produced from the solar panels, no matter how many we would have. We really wanted to smooth out the wrinkles in our charging cycle as well as produce more power for our home, that meant adding more solar panels just wouldn’t work for us.
Hydro power is probably the most cost effective option if you have enough running water with an adequate drop to produce power. Water power will produce 24/7 , but we had a problem with this option. From November until April our stream freezes solid and in order to produce power we need running water. Unless we could figure out a way to run ice through the hydro turbine that is.
That left us with the wind generator option. A quick assessment of our site told us we had wind energy potential. Open space and a site that was free of obstructions for over 300 yards. We would only need a 40 foot tower to get up to the good wind.
So, we started shopping for a wind generator. The wind definitely went out of our sales, so to speak, when we started looking at the price of new and used wind generators.
During our search for a wind generator a friend of ours suggested why not build a wind generator. He had done just that recently with some plans he had downloaded from a website called Off Grid Living. We took a look at the nice job he had done on his wind generator and decided to download our own plans.
They cost us $19.95 , but compared to the price in the thousands for a new or used wind generator to meet our needs it was a real bargain. The plans were simple and easy to follow and provided sources for all of the material we would need.
Once we knew where to look, the DC motor used for a generator was quickly located, as well as the free PVC pipe we used for the blades. Our family is quite happy learning how to build a wind generator. It produces about 600 watts of power at 24 volts.
