Tag → wind turbines

The Types of Wind Turbines and Manufacturers

11 June, 16:54, by homemadejoe Tags: , ,

With the current economic problems and woes and with gas prices skyrocketing, it is not uncommon for many people to start looking for alternative sources of energy. One of many good alternative power sources is the wind turbine. Homemade wind turbines are available all over the place and with the right tools, and maybe the right location for good airflow, off-the shelf and homemade wind turbines are definitely viable contenders for a good off-grid solution.

There are two popular types of wind turbines available in the market today. One is the Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWt) and the other one is the Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine (HAWT). Vertical Axis Wind Turbines a type of wind turbine that has its motor shaft set vertically. One of the many advantages of this arrangement is that generators and gearboxes can be situated near the ground for easier maintenance. Also, VAWTS do not need to be pointed into the wind. Most VAWTS nowadays have helical twisted blades that allow the turbine to easily capture wind energy and convert it into electricity. A lot of homemade wind turbines are built with the VAWTS schematic.

The Horizontal Axis Wind Turbine on the other hand is the more common types of wind turbines we see today. It is the wind turbine that looks like a pinwheel propeller. The HAWT turbine has its main rotor and shaft and electrical generator at the top of the tower. According to manufacturers, HAWTs are the most efficient design for turning wind into electricity. This is because the turbine’s design allows to or more rotor blades to face into the wind, resulting in the blades having the least possible resistance to wind forces. HAWT rotor blades usually have an aerodynamic design, with its top side having a longer surface area than the bottom. HAWTs must be pointed into the wind to maximize the wind energy.

There are many wind turbine manufacturers available today that offer a lot of wind power solutions for every type of application. When purchasing a wind power generator, one should have a general idea of the kind of applications the wind power generator will support, and what kind of wind turbine one wants to invest in. There are companies that specialize in Vertical Axis Wind Turbines (VAWTS) while some manufacture only Horizontal Axis Wind Turbines (HAWTS). For heavy duty power consumptions, one may want to consider purchasing one of those large wind turbines.

Large wind turbines are industrial sized equipment that is usually used for wind farms and power facilities. There are only a handful of companies that currently manufacture these industrial grade products, and almost all of them are European. Another solution is the small wind turbine systems. These are the ones that are usually setup in a home with ample amount of space. While definitely not as big as an industrial sized wind turbine, these small systems can still consume some space. The last type of wind turbine is the micro-wind systems. These wind systems are relatively cheap and one can get them from online shops and various other places around the country. These are the types of systems that are converted into customized homemade wind turbines because of their relative cheap cost.

Gudcraft residential wind turbine generator.

Wind turbine videos.
ALEKO WG450 450W 450 Watt 12 Volt Wind Turbine

The History of Homemade Wind Turbines

07 June, 16:53, by homemadejoe Tags: , ,
2 comments

History of Homemade Wind Turbines:

The wind turbine is probably one of the cheapest and cleanest sources of alternative energy – and with skyrocketing gas prices, more and more people are considering using homemade wind turbines and go off grid, and people are amazed at the simplicity and effectiveness of this new technology. However, while a lot of people may think that wind generators are a relatively new technology, it is surprising to find out that humans have already started harnessing wind energy even during the earliest parts of recorded human history.

It was recorded that the most simple of homemade wind turbines have been used way back in ancient history. Windmills were already being used in Persia even as early as 500 to 900 A.D. These windmills were built in Sistan, a region between Afghanistan and Iran. These windmills were vertical axle windmills and had long vertical shafts with rectangular blades. According to records, grain-grinding was most likely the first wind mill application. However, it was also recorded that these wind-mills were also used to automate the task of water pumping. Surprisingly, vertical axis windmills were also used in China around 1219 A.D. for almost the same purpose.

In Europe, windmills were in use in the 12th century, with the earliest recorded reference to the windmill in 1185. Unlike its predecessor that uses the vertical axle configuration, the European windmills were built with the horizontal axle. Records say that this may be because a lot of European water wheels also had a horizontal axis configuration, and may have been the point of reference for the European windmill. Another possible reason may have been the better structural efficiency of the horizontal machines.

Since then, the windmill has steadily become reliable equipment and provided people with automation tasks that made life a lot better. The windmill has also improved by leaps and bounds. By the 14th century, the Dutch has started to refine the windmill design and attach the standard post mill to the top of a multi-storey tower, with each floor processing a specific task. A floor was for grinding grain and another for removing the chaff, and yet another one for storing grain and other tasks.
One of the more significant improvements of the European mills was the use of sails. These sails generated aerodynamic lift which resulted in increased rotor speed. With the increased rotor speed came better grinding and pumping action.

The windmill has had a lot more improvements over the years. Some of the improvements were the placement of the blade spar at the quarter chord position, a camber on the leading edge, having the center of gravity at the same 1/4 chord position, and nonlinear twist of the blade. By 1888, the windmill has finally been configured to finally generate electricity. The windmill has continued and has been given the name wind turbine.

Nowadays, wind turbines are being used by a lot of people, not just for governments and large power companies, but also by a lot of do-it-yourself folks who use homemade wind turbines. Wind Turbines have come a long way from its humble beginnings into being one of the most cost-effective alternative sources of power we have today.