Wind

Aluminum Wind Generator Blades

The one thing that's inevitable when using PVC or fiberglass wind generator blades is that they're going to break at one time or another. If you're looking for solutions that are long term aluminum wind generator blades might just be the thing you're looking for.

Protect Your Wind Generator From Lightning Strikes

It's storming outside and you've seen some lightning strikes that have been a little bit too close for comfort. Than it happens... your wind generator gets struck by lightning. You're ok though because you took steps to protect yourself from lightning strikes on your wind generator.

Wind Generators Get Slammed By NIMBY

You've probably heard or seen this before. "I'm all for green energy". Than there will be a proposal for a wind farm or a neighbor wants to install a wind generator and there story suddenly changes to "not in my backyard!"

Wind Generator Blades That Change Shape?

I got quite a surprise earlier when I was checking my email. Apparently there is some work being done on wind generator blades that can dynamically change their shape. The implications of such a design are staggering.

Match Motor To Size Of Blades

When building a wind generator it's very important to match the size of your motor with your blades. This will result in a wind generator that is more efficient which will produce more power. Let's take a look at how to match motor size to the size of your blades.

AC or DC Wind Generator Motor?

Should your wind generator produce AC or DC current? This is a question you may not have asked yourself. Let's look at when you should use an AC generating motor and when you should use a DC generating motor.

Windmax Wind Generator Blades

During my research for fiberglass wind generator blades I came across Windmax blades. After researching their properties I became quite excited. High tip speed ratio (TSR), and a low start up speed, plus you can't scoff at the cost.

PVC, Wooden, or Fiberglass Blades?

When building your wind generator the question "what to use for my blades?" will come up. Each type of blades has it's pros and cons so lets take a look at what you should use for your blades.

Why Use An Arbor On Your Wind Generator?

Why should you use an arbor? If you've started or thought about building a wind generator I'm sure the question of "how do I attach my blades/hub to the motor? Well, somebody had that question and developed a solution for it. Let's take a look at why an arbor is useful for your wind generator.

Do I Need To Cover The Motor In My Wind Generator?

A question I am commonly asked is "do I need to cover the motor in my wind generator?". The simple answer to that question is yes, but lets take a look at why your wind generator needs a cover or shroud.

Making Wind Generator Blades

Making wind generator blades is a great way to save money on the first wind generator that you build. My recommendation to everyone is start out with a pair of homemade blades and than when your wind generator has saved you a bunch of money move up to a good set of fiberglass blades. Lets take a look at how to build wind generator blades.

DIY PVC Wind Generator Blades

When you're first starting out with a wind genertor I recommend DIY PVC wind generator blades. The reason being that they are quite easy to build and they can be built fairly cheaply as well.

When I was building my first wind generator I really didn't have the money for a nice set of blades, so I had to find a way to make some decent blades. After doing quite a bit of research I found that PVC is widely used to make decent quality wind generator blades.

Wind Generator Plans

I build a wind generator to supplement the power produced by the solar panels. Finding wind generator plans that were easy to read and complete turned out to be quite a bit harder than I expected. After trying out a bunch of different plans and finding them all to be garbage I decided to make my own wind generator plans.

Parts To Build Wind Generators

As with all things, the more you look around the better deals you'll find. When I first started looking around for wind generator parts I was floored at how much they were! After a long time looking around I've found some great inexpensive sources for wind generator parts.

How To Build a Wind Generator

If you're anything like me you'll want to learn how to build a wind generator because it is just so expensive to buy one! The 2500 watt wind generator that I was going to need as part of my renewable energy system cost in excess of $10,000. For me, and probably you too, that is a lot of money. A lot of money! I knew I could find a better solution. I eventually decided to build my own.

Homemade Wind Generators

I can remember back when I was looking at wind generators. I remember feeling bad because I couldn't afford one... even though I really wanted one. After doing some research though, I was happy to find out that homemade wind generators are significantly cheaper and they can look just as good as an overpriced commercial model.