Learn How to Build Wind Turbines Correctly
To build wind turbines safely and effectively, you have to consider several factors:
Swept Area
If it’s your first time to have heard of this term, expect to hear it a lot more often when you proceed with your plans to build your own wind turbines. A swept area refers to the number of meters or square feet that the blades of your wind turbine would cover with its rotation.
If you want to personally measure the swept area, take note of this formula: multiply Pi or 3.1415 with the square of your prop’s radius.
Two more things you should take note of when determining the swept area. First, the larger the swept area, the more available wind power you can get. That’s good news, right? But don’t celebrate just yet. If there’s more available wind power, there’s possibly more stress as well on your wind turbine’s blades, tail, bearings, and tower.
That’s why if you build wind turbines and you have a huge swept area, you should do your best to use highly durable materials. Take care with the engineering design as well. If you’re not confident with your engineering skills, you should seriously consider investing in a commercially made wind turbine.
Location Is Critical When You Build Wind Turbines
When you build wind turbines, location is very important. In particular, you need to know where the prevailing winds in your area are coming from. To know the source direction of the winds in your area, observe patterns during wind storms. Consider, for instance, how the trees are reacting. In which direction are the trees leaning? This will tell you not only about wind direction, but wind speed as well.
If you can’t make such observations, you can also contact weather stations. Their reports normally include details about wind direction and speed. If you are online, there are also numerous websites that will help you find out essential facts and figures about local winds.
Finally, but this is the most expensive alternative of all – you can purchase a logging anemometer and you’ll find out the exact figures regarding local winds. If you do so, you can at least use the anemometer every time you’re thinking of relocating your wind turbines or when you’ve volunteered to build wind turbines for your loved ones or friends.
Height Is Another Important Factor When You Build Wind Turbines
No matter what the direction and speed of the wind is in your area, you should build wind turbines that are capable of being mounted at least thirty feet above any physical obstacle that’s within 300 feet of your wind turbine. The more, the better!
Towers have to be tall, too. The greater the height of your turbine’s tower, the more power your turbine can generate.
Distance
If you are designing your own wind turbine, keep in mind that your batteries and wind generator have to be built close together. This would reduce the risk of losing power while it’s being transmitted over long wires.
Finally, if you can’t do anything about reducing the distance between the two, you should do what you can to increase wire size and thickness when you design and build wind turbines for your home.
