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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.
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