Homemade wind farm for the home. Vertical wind generator for a summer residence

The wind, as an endless source of energy, is becoming more and more widespread. Such a source of alternative energy is especially popular in remote regions (for example, Taiga), at polar stations. In addition, more and more household wind turbines are made by suburban residents. What types of windmills exist and how to assemble a device for converting wind energy with your own hands - read below.

Wind generation is the ability to generate electricity from wind energy. A wind generator is, in fact, a solar generator: winds are formed due to the uneven heating of the Earth's surface by the sun, the rotation of the planet and its relief. Generators use the movement of air masses and convert it into electricity through mechanical energy.

On average, one 20 kW windmill can provide electricity to one small village.

Based on the principle of wind generation, both a whole power plant can be built, and autonomous devices can be built to provide electricity to certain areas and even houses. Today, 45% of all energy is generated by wind turbines. The largest wind farm is located in Germany, and each year produces up to 7 million kWh of energy per hour. Therefore, more and more often, the owners of country houses in distant regions and villages are thinking about using wind energy for domestic purposes. At the same time, windmills can be used both single and.

Wind generator: principle of operation, types of devices

Most windmills are a steel tower - a mast, on top of which three blades are fixed. A modern household 5 kw windshield of the second magnitude can easily generate up to 5000 watts of electricity. This is quite enough to provide electricity to a residential building, a summer residence. The axial generator delivers up to 500 Wh. The most powerful wind generator in the world - 8 MW.

A modern wind turbine may have:

• Horizontal axis of rotation;
• vertical axis of rotation.

The horizontal visor has an axis that rotates parallel to the ground (like a conventional windmill). Vertical wind turbines can have both blades and rotors that move parallel to the ground.

Energy-saving pipes are simply irreplaceable. They allow you to save both energy and your budget. Full details in our article:

Rotors can vary in shape and size, and are divided into:

• Savonius devices (rotors are made in the form of half-cylinders);
• Ugrinsky rotors (improved semi-cylindrical type rotors);
• Darier rotors (can be helical, curved and H-shaped);
• Multi-bladed wind turbines (used in carousel-type windmills);
• Helicoid rotors (have a conical rotor).

Often vertical wind generators are yule-shaped (an example is the rotary wind generator “Genghis Khan”). The most effective device of its group is considered to be a multi-blade top-type design.

Homemade wind generator: advantages and disadvantages

Installing a windmill may be necessary if electricity is not supplied to your site, there are constant interruptions in the power grid, or you want to save on electricity bills. The windmill can be purchased, or you can make your own.

A homemade wind generator has the following advantages:

• It allows you to save money on the purchase of a factory device, because the manufacture is most often made from improvised parts;
• Ideal for your needs and operating conditions, because you calculate the power of the device yourself, taking into account the density and strength of the wind in your area;
• It harmonizes better with the design of the house and landscape design, because the appearance of the windmill depends only on your imagination and skills.

The disadvantages of home-made devices include their unreliability and fragility: home-made products are often made from old engines from household appliances and cars, so they quickly fail. However, in order for the wind turbine to be efficient, it is necessary to correctly calculate the power of the device.

How to make a windmill with your own hands

In order to make a wind generator with your own hands, you should know exactly what details exist in its design and what they are responsible for. So it will be possible to understand how to replace some parts that are difficult to find at home.

Any wind turbine has in its design:

• Blades that rotate;
• An alternating current generator;
• Controller - a device that converts mechanical energy from the blades into current;
• An inverter is a device that converts direct current into alternating current;
• Rechargeable batteries;
• Mast.

A simple small windmill can be made using a household fan as a basis. Some craftsmen adapt an old computer cooler for a mini-windmill. True, the power of such a wind blower will not exceed 100 watts. When a 5 kW wind turbine is needed to power small and medium-sized houses, and 10 kW for commercial facilities.

Do-it-yourself electric generator: calculating the power of the device

The manufacture of any windmill for private use begins with the preparatory stage - calculating the power of the device. So, for example, for the operation of water heating, it will be necessary to install a windmill with a height of at least 5-6 meters. At the same time, it is not possible to use only wind energy for heating: the wind speed is quite changeable. But as an additional source that will save money, you can use the wind.

To do this, you can use the numerous formulas that are presented on the network. The simplest solution is to use a calculator that calculates the wind strength on its own. You, in this case, will only need to drive the desired values ​​\u200b\u200binto the program. Most often these are: the area on which the wind blows, the density and speed of the wind.

You can find out the average speed of air masses in your area by contacting the weather service.

In addition, for work you will need an electrical circuit of a windmill, detailed design drawings that can be drawn on a regular sheet of paper or visualized using a computer program for three-dimensional modeling.

How to choose a generator for a windmill

Household windmills should be quiet. Therefore, it is better to use a low-speed (low-speed) engine as a generator for wind turbines. Such an engine is capable of performing from 350 to 700 revolutions per minute. In addition, a low-speed motor can be used even on a single-blade windmill. Also, a low-speed generator can be made from a stepper motor.

To increase the speed of the windmill, you can use the multiplier: it will speed up the rotation of the blades by 5-10 times.

Disc motors on neodymium magnets are especially popular. Magnets, at the same time, can be of different sizes and, accordingly, power. Such a generator is made quite simply, but its cost is quite high.

In order to start the propeller, you can use a pedal bike generator.

Many people make a low-power generator from a gas generator, an automobile or tractor generator, a battery from a screwdriver. In this case, it should be borne in mind that a gearbox that reduces speed will need to be installed on a design with a generator from a tractor and an autogenerator.

Do-it-yourself wind generators for 220 v

In order to assemble the windcatcher, we need: a 12 volt generator, batteries, a converter from 12 v to 220 v, a voltmeter, copper wires, fasteners (clamps, bolts, nuts).

The manufacture of any windmill involves the following steps:

1. Blade manufacturing. The blades of a vertical wind generator can be made from a barrel. You can cut the parts with a grinder. A screw for a small windmill can be made from a PVC pipe with a cross section of 160 mm.
2. Mast making. The mast must be at least 6 meters high. At the same time, in order for the torsional force not to break the mast, it must be fixed to 4 stretch marks. At the same time, each stretch must be wound on a log, which should be buried deep in the ground.
3. Installation of neodymium magnets. The magnets are glued to the rotor disk. It is better to choose rectangular magnets, in which the magnetic fields are concentrated over the entire surface.
4. Winding generator coils. Winding is carried out with a copper thread with a diameter of at least two mm. At the same time, skeins should be no more than 1200.
5. Fixing the blades to the pipe with nuts.

In the presence of powerful batteries and an inverter, the resulting device will be able to generate such an amount of electricity that will be enough to use household appliances (for example, a refrigerator and a TV). Such a generator is perfect for maintaining the operation of lighting, heating and ventilation systems of a small country house, greenhouse.

DIY windmills 5 kW (video)

A wind turbine is a safe, modern device that allows you to transform wind energy into electricity, which is necessary for the operation of household appliances, heating systems, water supply, and ventilation. With a little calculation, you can build a wind turbine without professional help. The above detailed instructions, pictures and recommendations for choosing components can help with this!

Examples of windmills (photo)

Wind is free energy! So let's use it for personal purposes. If the creation of a wind farm on an industrial scale is very expensive, because in addition to the generator it is necessary to carry out a number of studies and calculations, the state does not bear such expenses, and for some reason investors in the countries of the former USSR are not of particular interest. Then privately you can make a mini-windmill for your own needs. It should be understood that the project of converting your home to alternative energy is a very expensive undertaking.

As already mentioned: you need to make long-term observations and calculations in order to choose the optimal ratio of the sizes of the wind wheel and generator, suitable for your climate, wind rose and average annual wind speed.

The efficiency of a wind power plant within the same region can differ significantly, this is due to the fact that the movement of the wind depends not only on the climatic zone, but also on the terrain.

However, you can find out what wind energy is at a minimal cost by assembling a budget installation to power a low-power load, such as a smartphone, light bulbs or a radio. With the right approach, you can provide electricity to a small house or summer cottage.

Let's look at how you can make the simplest wind turbine with your own hands.

Low-power windmills from improvised means

A computer cooler is a brushless motor, which in its original form is of no practical value.

It needs to be rewound, since in the original the windings are connected in an inappropriate way. Winding coils alternately:

Clockwise;

Counterclock-wise;

Clockwise;

Counterclock-wise.

You need to connect adjacent coils in series, or even better, wind it with one piece of wire, moving from one groove to another. In this case, choose the thickness of the wire arbitrarily, it would be better if you wind as many turns as possible, and this is possible when using the thinnest wire.

The output voltage from such a generator will be variable, and its value will depend on the speed (wind speed), install a diode bridge from Schottky diodes to rectify it to a constant, ordinary diodes will do, but it will be worse, because. voltage will drop from 1 to 2 volts.

Lyrical digression, a little theory

Remember the value of the EMF is:

where L is the length of the conductor placed in a magnetic field; V is the speed of rotation of the magnetic field;

When upgrading the generator, you can only influence the length of the conductor, that is, the number of turns of each of the coils. The number of turns - determines the output voltage, and the thickness of the wire - the maximum current load.

In practice, it is impossible to influence the wind speed. However, there is also a way out of this situation, it is possible, having learned the typical wind speed for your area, to design a suitable screw for a wind turbine, as well as a gearbox or belt drive, to provide sufficient speed to generate the required voltage.

IMPORTANT: Faster does not mean better! If the rotation speed of the wind generator is too high, its resource will be reduced, the lubricating properties of the bushings or bearings of the rotor will deteriorate, and it will jam, and the winding insulation breakdown in the generator will most likely occur

The generator consists of:

We increase the power of the generator from a computer cooler

First, the more blades and wheel diameter, the better, so take a closer look at 120mm coolers.

Secondly, we have already said that the voltage also depends on the magnetic field, the fact is that high power industrial generators have excitation windings, and low power ones have strong magnets. The magnets in the cooler are extremely weak and do not allow you to achieve good results from the generator, and the gap between the rotor and the stator is very large - about 1 mm, and this is with already weak magnets.

The solution to this problem is to radically change the design of the generator. Rather, only an impeller is required from the cooler; a motor from a printer or any other household appliance can be used as a generator. The most common are brushed motors with permanent magnet excitation.

As a result, it will look like this.

The power of such a generator is enough to power the LEDs, the radio. It will not be enough to recharge the phone, the phone will display the charging process, but the current will be extremely small, up to 100 amperes, with a wind of 5-10 meters per second.

Stepper motors as a wind generator

A stepper motor is very often found in computer and household appliances, in various players, floppy drives (old 5.25” models are interesting), printers (especially dot matrix), scanners, etc.

These motors without alterations can work as a generator, they are a rotor with permanent magnets, and a stator with windings, a typical connection diagram of a stepper motor in generator mode is shown in the figure.

The circuit has a 5 volt linear stabilizer, type L7805, which will allow you to safely connect mobile phones to such a windmill to charge them.

The photo shows a generator from a stepper motor with installed blades.

The engine in a particular case with 4 output wires, the diagram is accordingly for it. An engine with such dimensions in generator mode produces approximately 2 W in light wind (wind speed about 3 m / s) and 5 m / s in strong (up to 10 m / s).

By the way, here is a similar circuit with a zener diode, instead of L7805. Allows you to charge Li-ion batteries.

Refinement of a homemade windmill

To make the generator work more efficiently, you need to make a guide shank for it and fix it movably on the mast. Then, when the direction of the wind changes, the direction of the wind generator will change. Then the following problem arises - the cable going from the generator to the consumer will twist around the mast. To solve this, you need to provide a moving contact. A ready-made solution is sold on Ebay and Aliexpress.

The bottom three wires are motionless going down, and the upper bundle of wires is movable, a sliding contact or a brush mechanism is installed inside. If you do not have the opportunity to buy, be smart, and, inspired by the decision of the designers of the Zhiguli car, namely the implementation of the movable contact of the signal button on the steering wheel, and do something similar. Or use the contact pad from the electric kettle.

By connecting the connectors, you get a moving contact.

Powerful wind generator from improvised means.

For more power, you can use two options:

1. Generator from a screwdriver (10-50 W);

You only need a motor from a screwdriver, the option is similar to the previous one, you can use fan blades as a screw, this will increase the final power of your installation.

Here is an example of such a project:

Pay attention to how a gear overdrive is implemented here - the wind generator shaft is located in a pipe, at its end there is a gear that transmits rotation to a smaller gear mounted on the motor shaft. An increase in engine speed also occurs in industrial wind turbines. Reducers are used everywhere.

However, in a homemade environment, making a gearbox becomes a big problem. You can remove the gearbox from the power tool, it is needed there to reduce the high speed on the shaft of the collector motor to the normal speed of the chuck on the drill, or the grinder disk:

The drill has a planetary gearbox;

An angle gearbox is installed in the angle grinder (it will become useful for the installation of some installations and reduce the load from the tail of the wind turbine);

Gearbox from a hand drill.

This version of a homemade wind generator can already charge 12 V batteries, but a converter is needed to generate the charging current and voltage. This task can be simplified by using a car generator.

The advantage of such a generator is the ability to use it to charge car batteries, in principle, it is intended for this. Autogenerators have a built-in voltage regulator relay, which eliminates the need to buy additional stabilizers or converters.

However, motorists know that at low idle, approximately 500-1000 rpm, the power of such a generator is small, and it does not provide the proper current to charge the battery. This leads to the need to connect to the wind wheel through a gearbox or belt drive.

You can adjust the number of revolutions at wind speeds that are normal for your latitudes by selecting a gear ratio or using a properly designed wind wheel.

Helpful Hints

Perhaps the most convenient windmill mast design for repetition is shown in the picture. Such a mast is stretched on cables fixed to holders in the ground, which ensures stability.

Important: The height of the mast should be as high as possible, approximately 10 meters. At higher altitudes, the wind is stronger because there are no obstacles for it in the form of ground structures, hills and trees. Never install a wind generator on the roof of your house. Resonant vibrations of fastening structures can cause the destruction of its walls.

Take care of the reliability of the carrier mast, because the design of a windmill based on such a generator is much heavier and is already a rather serious solution that can provide autonomous power supply to a summer house with a minimum set of electrical appliances. Devices that operate on 220 Volts can be powered from a 12-220 V inverter. The most common version of such an inverter is.

It is better to use diesel generators, incl. trucks, because they are designed to work at low speeds. On average, a large truck diesel engine runs between 300 and 3500 rpm.

Modern generators give out 12 or 24 volts, and a current of 100 amperes has long become normal. After carrying out simple calculations, you can determine that such a generator will give you a maximum of up to 1 kW of power, and a generator from a Zhiguli (12 V 40-60 A) 350-500 W, which is already a pretty decent figure.

What should be a wind wheel for a homemade wind turbine?

I mentioned in the text that the wind wheel should be large and with a large number of blades, in fact this is not the case. This statement was true for those micro-generators that do not claim to be serious electrical machines, but rather specimens for familiarization and leisure.

In fact, the design, calculation and creation of a wind turbine is a very difficult task. Wind energy will be used more rationally if it is made very accurately and the “aviation” profile is ideally displayed, while it must be installed with a minimum angle to the plane of rotation of the wheel.

The real power of wind wheels with the same diameter and different number of blades is the same, the difference is only in the speed of their rotation. The smaller the wings - the more revolutions per minute, with the same wind and diameter. If you are going to achieve maximum RPM, you must mount the wings as accurately as possible with a minimum angle to the plane of their rotation.

Check out the table from the 1956 book "Homemade Wind Farm" ed. DOSAAF Moscow. It shows the relationship between wheel diameter, power and rpm.

At home, these theoretical calculations are of little use, amateurs make wind wheels from improvised means, they use:

• Sheets of metal;

  Plastic sewer pipes.

You can assemble a high-speed 2-4-blade wind wheel with your own hands from sewer pipes, in addition to them, you need a hacksaw or any other cutting tool. The use of these pipes is due to their shape, after cutting they have a concave shape, which ensures high responsiveness to air flows.

After trimming, they are fixed with BOLTS on a metal, textolite or plywood blank. If you are going to make it from plywood, it is better to glue and twist several layers of plywood on both sides with screws, then you will be able to achieve rigidity.

Here is an idea for a two-bladed one-piece impeller for a stepper motor generator.

findings

You can make a wind power plant ranging from low power - units of watts, to power individual LED lamps, beacons and small equipment, to good power values ​​in units of kilowatts, store energy in a battery, use it in its original form or convert up to 220 volts. The cost of such a project will depend on your needs, perhaps the most expensive element is the mast and batteries, it can be in the range of 300-500 dollars.

Often situations arise when electricity in the nearest transmission line becomes unavailable or unreasonably expensive, and in such cases only a homemade windmill can help out. Let's look at options for autonomous supply of a country house with electricity.

Wind generators - which model is better?

Very often you want to save on electricity or get it where there are no power transmission towers yet. It is also possible that it is simply not possible to connect to this tower due to the lack of free power. In any of these cases, it becomes necessary to find an affordable source of electricity, preferably renewable, that is, without the use of fuel. Therefore, let's forget for a while about the existence of gasoline and diesel generators and try to use the power of the wind to generate electricity.

Windmills have existed for quite a long time, a couple of centuries ago windmills were actively used. Yes, during a calm, such a device is of little use, and during a storm even the most reliable mechanism can fail (at best). But for all its unreliability, a do-it-yourself wind generator for a home is the easiest to make, it is considered the most effective, especially if there is no access to a fast-flowing river to install the wheel. And it should be remembered that the windmill tower should not interfere with neighbors with noise, vibration, or even a cast shadow, according to the rules for building a residential building on the site.

There are only 2 main types of windmills: with a vertical and horizontal axis of rotation. Mills, once used everywhere, were machines whose blades were mounted on a horizontally oriented axis. Also, most windmills today are made according to this principle, since this option provides the greatest efficiency. However, do-it-yourself vertical axis wind turbines for home use the lightest wind that will not move the blades of the propeller models. Light gusts from 1-2 meters per second are enough for them. As for manufacturing, it is much easier to make a vertical windmill that receives wind from any direction.

Generators are also distinguished by the type of blades that both of the above species have. For the most part, the main factor in the division into types is the design: rigid or sail. Already, depending on which option is preferable for a particular model, the material for the manufacture of the blades of the wind flow catcher is selected. It can be plywood, tin or thin sheet steel, plastic, composite - for a light rigid structure, and any flexible but durable material will do for a sailboat, including silk, banner fabric or even a thin tarpaulin.

Differences in the shape of the blades of the generators - comparison of efficiency

The simplest version of the horizontal type is the sail structure, that is, simply the arrangement of the propeller planes at a slight angle to the plane of rotation. Rigid blades will require an accurate calculation of the bending of their surfaces, or it will be necessary to achieve maximum performance empirically. Insufficient curvature of the "wing" will result in a decrease in efficiency due to poor capture of the air flow, and too much curvature itself will create resistance to rotation due to friction against the air.

As for vertical axis generators, their wind catchers come in a wide variety of shapes, and development of new contours and curves is ongoing. The simplest option is with blades in the form of troughs, the so-called Savonius design. Their number is usually made even - 2 or 4. Although it happens more when they make home-made 30 kW multi-bladed vertical wind turbines with additional static screens on the outer ring. These screens direct and concentrate the wind to certain areas of the rotor located inside the ring, where the blades are installed directly. They, depending on the diameter of the base disk, can be read from 8 to 16 pieces.

There are also orthogonal propellers, which are located on vertically mounted axes and rotate in a horizontal plane, but their main drawback is their extremely low efficiency. Also, such generators do not work with weak gusts of wind, a speed of at least 4 meters per second is needed. And the least commonly used models of Dorier windmills, including helicoid, with a helical bend of the blades, arcuate wind traps and a design of the "H" type. They are reliable and effective, but they are difficult to make at home.

Pros and cons of various types - analyze and evaluate

As already mentioned, the performance is much higher for models with a horizontal axis of rotation. However, they need a strong wind, this usually happens at a height of more than 10-15 meters, and it is this length that the mast is installed, which is crowned with a rotary gondola with blades. Another positive quality can be considered the absence of a bending load on the shaft, which occurs in windmills with a vertical axis. The disadvantages include the fact that rotary propeller models have 2 shafts, which means more wear parts and a higher probability of breakage.

As for vertical systems, their advantages and disadvantages depend on the model. For example, Savonius windmills are the simplest and can be made for the home with your own hands, both from a tin can and from a metal or plastic barrel. They start up in the presence of 4 blades from the lightest breath of the wind, especially if high-quality parts are installed, then self-unwinding will occur due to inertia even with a gusty wind. But if there are only 2 or 3 blades, independent rotation is impossible, so they put 2 such modules one on top of the other, placing the wind catchers of each at an angle of 90 degrees relative to the other. The windage of this type is large, and therefore the lateral pressure on the axle is very high during a strong storm.

Orthogonal windmills, in addition to their low power, have a number of disadvantages. Firstly, this is a rather strong vibration due to uneven pressure on different parts of the wing-shaped blade. As a result, a bearing mounted on a vertical shaft quickly deteriorates. In addition, such generators emit a rather strong and unpleasant noise during rotation, and therefore can cause dissatisfaction with neighbors in the nearest areas. Helicoid, if purchased ready-made, factory-assembled, are very expensive, as well as multi-blade designs, which have a very large number of parts.

Any wind generator can be installed in a rotating pipe to increase efficiency.

The principle of operation of windmills - how is the system arranged?

Regardless of the type of windmill, it cannot generate energy on its own, it needs a generator, the rotation of the shaft of which will be provided by the blades. If you have a design with a horizontal axis of rotation, you will need a gearbox to transmit movement to the shaft. Next, a controller is connected, which converts the electricity received on the generator coils into direct current, which then enters the batteries. Next, you can connect an LED light bulb, but if you want to charge a device or connect a laptop, you will also need an inverter that converts the charge stored in the battery into alternating current.

It should be borne in mind that each change in current from alternating to direct, and vice versa, reduces the total amount of energy by 10–15%.

A vertical axis installation is convenient in that its shaft can be quite long, and this allows you to place the generator at the bottom of the mast, that is, in the direct access zone. Often, an automatic switch is installed in the circuit, in cases where the windmill works in combination with solar panels or a water wheel. Also, in some models, they put a brake, which is needed in case the battery is fully charged. Hinges can be provided on the blades of windmills with a horizontal axis of rotation, which fold the wind catchers during a storm. A very powerful do-it-yourself 5 kilowatt wind generator is sometimes supplemented by a rotary electric motor, which is triggered by an air flow direction sensor.

Product on neodymium magnets - brief instructions

It is better to entrust the assembly of the rotor and stator for a windmill to a specialist, but if you decide to make a windmill for a private house from scratch with your own hands, you need to know how the generator is made. You should start with the base, for which it is best to use the hub of the car, since it already has bearings. Neodymium magnets are glued onto the disk at regular intervals, the poles of which, facing you, must alternate. Moreover, in a single-phase model, the number of opposite-pole sides must match. As for three-phase generators, it is recommended to observe proportions of 2:3 or 3:4.

Next, you should start winding the coils for the stator. It is also better to entrust this task to a specialist or use special devices that will help to cope with the task more accurately than if everything is done manually. In order to successfully charge a 12 watt battery, you need a total number of turns in all coils equal to 1000. In general, the simplest formula can be used to calculate the turns ω=44/(T*S), where 44 is a constant factor, T is the Tesla induction, and S is the cross section of the wire in square centimeters. Tesla induction is determined from the table for various types of conductors:

Wound coils (it is better to give them a rectangular or trapezoidal shape for ease of arrangement in a circle) are fixed with glue on a fixed base of the stator. In this case, the shape and dimensions of the internal space of the coil must correspond to the contours of the magnet. The same goes for thickness. We bring out all the ends of the conductors and connect them so that we get two common bundles "+" and "-". We fill the cores of the coils with the same glue that was used for fixing, it is also possible to completely isolate the wires laid on the stator disk with it. Now, if the magnets are combined with the coils during the rotation of the rotor, the potential difference between the poles will create conditions for generating electricity.

Making a windmill based on a finished electric motor

Usually, home craftsmen try to use car generators, but not all are suitable, but only self-excited ones, for example, those used in some tractor models. Most require the presence of a connected battery for the current to appear. However, a motor-wheel for a scooter or scooter can also be used as the basis for a windmill. This will make it possible to make low-noise vertical wind turbines of 5 kW, which will have a very high resource due to the simplest design with a minimum of parts.

You can also use almost any electric motor from household machines as a generator, the main thing is that there are no brushes in the base, as, for example, in or electric drills - such generators will not suit you. A cooler from a computer is also suitable for a low-power version, but only for charging small electronic devices. If you want to get a do-it-yourself vertical wind generator, at least 2 kW, it is better to take the motor from a powerful fan as a basis.

wind farms- This is the most alternative option for saving electrical energy today.

Very often, such installations can be found in suburban areas.

People use them in places where suburban areas are remote from the main electrical networks. But this is not the only reason. Most people use wind farms for economy and autonomy.

Wind farms have their own characteristics that potential buyers need to know, and how productivity depends on their competence.

The main incentive to purchase a wind generator- this is undoubtedly its expediency. One of the main criteria for achieving this goal is the requirements for the wind. It is known that the average annual wind speed is about 4.0-4.5 m / s, this indicator is more than enough for a home wind farm to be profitable in use, that is, it makes it possible to save electricity.

In order to estimate the wind speed in your area, you can use the wind map. If you have a desire to measure the wind speed with maximum accuracy, you should purchase a special device that will help you with this.

This invention includes a part called an anemometer. With it, you receive a signal equivalent to the speed of the wind. Also, you will need a device that reads the signals that the anemometer gives. There are other devices of this type.

In order for the data to be as accurate as possible, such devices must be installed high so that external factors such as trees, various buildings, etc., do not distort the results of the device.

Device Components

It is very important when buying a home wind farm to know its components, this will give you the opportunity to be more competent in this matter and choose the best model for your home.

The wind farm includes:

1. Rotor with blades(depending on the model, wind turbines are divided into two-blade, three-blade and multi-blade).
2. The gearbox, in other words, the gearbox. Its task is to regulate the speed between the rotor and the generator.
3. Protective cover- its name speaks for itself, it is designed to protect all the components of the wind farm from external influences.
4. "Tail" of the wind turbine- needed to rotate the structure in the direction of the wind.
5. Accumulator battery Its main purpose is to store electricity. This is due to the fact that weather conditions are not always favorable for a wind farm, and with the help of this component, a certain amount of energy is stored.
6. inverter installation- designed to convert direct current to alternating current. This is necessary to ensure the operation of household electrical appliances.

Types and principle of operation

Wind farms are divided into types according to the following four criteria:

1. In the direction of the axis of rotation of the blades(divided into horizontal and vertical. Vertical ones are more resistant to external conditions, but they have less electricity generation).
2. By number of blades(in this case, wind turbines are two-, three- and multi-bladed).
3. According to the material used(they are distinguished with rigid and sail blades. The main difference is that sail blades are cheaper, but they are less durable);
4. Blade control method(there are fixed and variable pitch blades. Experts recommend a fixed pitch blades, as variable causes difficulty in use).

When choosing a power plant, it would be advisable to know what the principle of operation of a wind generator is. The principle of operation of the installation is extremely simple. The design consists of a shank with blades mounted on a metal mast, which rotate with the help of the wind and turn the generator rotor.

Before supplying current to the battery compartment, it passes through a converter, where it converts AC to DC to a voltage of 220 volts at a frequency of 50 hertz and supplies the house with electricity in calm weather.

A modern wind generator does not need a strong wind. Its design is so well thought out that for a private house a wind speed of up to 4 - 5 m / s is enough.

Advantages and disadvantages

The main advantages of wind turbines:

1. The costs are spent on the installation and maintenance of the device. More expenses are not required, since the structure does not need fuel to operate.
2. You do not need to control and interfere with the operation of the windmill, since power generation occurs whenever there is wind.
3. Depending on the type of generator, it won't make any noise.
4. The device is suitable for most climatic conditions.
5. Part wear is negligible.

The main disadvantages of a wind farm:

1. In certain modes or when the mast is incorrectly installed, the wind generator can emit infrasound.
2. high mast necessarily requires grounding.
3. The need for regular preventive maintenance.
4. Probability of fixture damage during hurricanes, etc.

Choice of size and placement

The size of a wind farm is a very important issue for potential buyers. In order to determine the size, you need to carefully study - how much energy do you consume in one month? The resulting figure must be multiplied by 12 months.

Then, you need to use the formula: AEO = 1.64 * D*D * V*V*V.

Notations that you need to know when using the formula:

1. AEO- the electricity you use per year.
2. D- rotor diameter, which is indicated in meters.
3. V- the average annual wind speed, indicated in m / s.

Thus, these calculations will help determine what size generator you need, depending on your electricity consumption.

When thinking about purchasing a wind farm for your home, you need to study all the details associated with the design as accurately as possible, since it depends on how your goal will be satisfied.

When placing a wind turbine, you should consider the following factors:

1. There should be no trees near your installation, various buildings and other things that could interfere with the maximum productivity of your generator.
2. It is best to install a wind turbine on a specially constructed structure, which should be a couple of meters higher than obstacles located at a distance of at least 200 meters.
3. It is recommended to place wind farms at a distance of about 30-40 meters from residential buildings, as they create a certain noise that brings discomfort.

Also, you should take into account that you will not be able to constantly get the same result from your wind farm, as the natural conditions change, there may be different gusts of wind in the same place, respectively, and the amount of energy you receive will be dynamic.

Price overview

In most cases, the price of wind farms depends on their capacity. In domestic conditions, generators with a power of 5 to 50 kW are quite enough.

More details about the ratio of prices and types of generators:

1. Wind generators with a power of 3 kW / 48V– approximate cost 93 000.00 rub. Similar ones can be used not only as an additional source of power supply, but also as the main one. Such models are able to provide electricity to the cottage.
2. Wind generators with a power of 5 kW / 120V– approximately 220,100.00 rubles. Such a design can provide energy to the whole house. You can simultaneously turn on a sufficiently large number of household electrical appliances.
3. Wind generators with a power of 10 kW/240V- prices within 414,000.00 rubles. It is enough to provide energy for a farm or several houses. In addition to household appliances, you can easily use, for example, electrical construction tools all day. Such power generators are often used for supermarkets to ensure the continuous operation of departments and video surveillance.
4. Wind generators with a power of 20 kW/240V- the price of such a device is 743,700.00 rubles. Power plants of this type are very powerful. They are able to provide electricity to the entire water pressure system. In domestic conditions, he will be able to more than fully provide energy to a huge house.
5. Wind generators with a power of 30 kW/240V- cost within 961,800.00 rubles. This model is so powerful that it can provide electrical energy to a five-story house.
6. Wind turbines with a power of 50 kW/380V- approximate price is about 3,107,000.00 rubles. This model is not rational for domestic use, as it is so powerful that it can more than provide energy for several multi-storey buildings.

When buying a home power plant, it is worth knowing that in most cases the prices are for the complete set, but you can add or exclude certain components yourself. This is subject to your personal discretion.

Efficiency and payback

Wind farms for the home are an alternative solution to save energy. They have become quite widespread.

In order to provide energy to the whole house, it is enough to use one wind generator and at the same time not limit yourself by saving on electricity.

It is also beneficial that to obtain such an effect, a minimum wind speed of 1.8 to 4.5 meters per second is sufficient.

But weather conditions are not always suitable for a wind turbine, so you need to purchase a backup generator that will provide power. This will give you the opportunity to increase the productivity of your home wind farm.

Among the positive aspects of the installation, it is worth noting the following:

1. Spending a lot of money on a generator, you will no longer need to spend money, since the device does not need fuel to operate. That is, in a few years your purchase will be able to pay off.
2. Wind generator performance does not depend on the season or other weather conditions, its operation does not stop even in winter, which is undoubtedly a plus, since in the winter season the energy consumption is higher than in others. This fact undoubtedly testifies to its effectiveness and payback.
3. Generator parts wear is negligible, given the regular preventive maintenance of the wind turbine, which is necessary. With proper and competent installation, as well as operation of a wind farm for a home, it can serve you for more than thirty years, which is undoubtedly a significant plus.

The full payback period for wind farms is approximately 5-7 years, and then you can use electricity absolutely free.