Generate Your Own Solar and Wind Power and Reduce Your Utilities Bill, Even by Up to 80%

With steadily increasing energy prices and a desire for more environmentally friendly living, wind generated power is becoming more and more popular. Large wind farms are being built in locations around the country, and individual property owners are building their own smaller turbines. While wind generated power won't be enough to supply all of your energy needs, if you want to build your own it will most certainly reduce your electric bill. A wind turbine also makes a great supplement to an already existing solar or water power generator.

Building a wind turbine on your property is not difficult, but you'll need some tools, some basic knowledge of electrical systems, and a willingness to do it right. Before beginning a turbine project you should check with your local municipality to see if turbines are regulated in your area. Once that hurdle is cleared, you can begin the design phase, assemble the parts, and begin building.

The standard wind turbine can be broken down into six basic components: the generator, blades, tail assembly, pivoting mount, mast, batteries, and load controller. For small DIY projects, a generator can be a simple motor from an old tape deck, kitchen blender, or any scrap appliance you have laying around. The key to the generator is to find a motor that gives the most volts at the lowest RPM. Normal winds are in the range of 15-20 mph, so on average your turbine won't be turning 7200 RPM all that often.

Blades can be made of wood, PVC, plastic, whatever you can get your hands on. You'll need some scrap wood for the tail, conduit or steel piping for the mast, some deep cycle batteries, and some common electrical components for the controller. Parts lists and assembly instructions can be found all over the internet. A few hours of research should yield just about all the information you need. If you're not confident enough to build from scratch, you can also purchase a kit which just requires assembly.

Once your turbine is up an running you'll be spending less money with the local electric utility, and producing power without pollution. Those are two pretty good reasons to go wind powered.

Sam Stone

For more information on how to generate your own power: http://timelessprincipals.com/solarpanel

I have a passion for conserving the environment and I try and do my part to help reduce my carbon foot print. I now have solar and wind power generators powering all my utilities and i never have to pay of power again but more importantly I am helping save the planet. http://timelessprincipals.com/solarpanel