Hello,

I was wondering about 'windmill electricity'. May I ask if it okay to use from home? What do I need? How many volts, amperes, it gives???

Thanks!!!

 

Hello,

I was wondering about 'windmill electricity'. May I ask if it okay to use from home? What do I need? How many volts, amperes, it gives???

Thanks!!!

Whether you are allowed to mount a windmill on your house will depend on the laws applying in the region where you live. Such things generate noise and some people find them unsightly, so your neighbours may complain. I would doubt that you would be able to build anything giving much useful output if you live in a city.

In a rural location, it may be possible to erect a tower and so get enough power for some lighting and perhaps a small TV set or a computer. Storage batteries and /or some other backup supply would be needed to cope with the intermittent supply. That sort of set-up is (or was) fairly common on isolated farms. Getting kilowatt power levels to run larger appliances would need a very expensive installation.

 

What do you think; how much would I need to spend for having a windmill farm which operate 240 volts or operate large appliances?

Would I need to spend infinite dollars? ;P

 

What do you think; how much would I need to spend for having a windmill farm which operate 240 volts or operate large appliances?

Would I need to spend infinite dollars? ;P

Not infinite! But a lot. You'd need a system rated for at least 1 kW, and even 2 kW would not be enough for multiple appliances. When the wind is not blowing, you'll have to wait.

Without running to the tables of data, I'd guess you'd need blades with at least 2 meter diameter, a turbine to make the electricity, a rectifier and battery storage module, and an inverter to make the AC your appliances require. None of these things are cheap. And they need to be properly installed and maintained.

Compared to buying off the grid, a twenty year payback is considered pretty good. Of course a windmill is more attractive if you have no grid access.

 

A used car alternator may be a good place to start. Of course, if you find one laying around it may not be working. The AAC book has a good chapter on the subject.

http://www.allaboutcircuits.com/vol_6/chpt_4/8.html

 

wind power is not a supper good residential investment as wind can be spotty and wind speed is inconsistent. your best bet is finding the most efficient appliances posible . if you have already done this then you can use wind power to off set some of your electric bill if you grid tie it, that is if the electric provider buys back the power, another good option to help off set your bill is grid tie solar. you can go off grid with batteries, but this can get very expensive. either way, you need grid tie or battery power, to provide a consistent source to your appliances

 

Interesting article here: http://motionsystemdesign.com/motors-drives/electrohydrostatic-actuation-modernizes-0111/

It pays to have a website with an actual professional e-mail address, you can get a ton of free magazines that will keep you entranced for ages. I can never remember my provider's name but just got to http://www.innoengr.net and look around as it will redirect you to their main page. Get a .com address and you're set for life on free samples, magazines, trade publications etc.

 

One of the problems with small windpower is if you have a site that has good wind for power generation it usually has too much wind for a low cost unit to operate without damage. I'm at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge with sustained winds at 25 mph for weeks in winter but usually during that time we get gusts in the 50-70mph+ range during storms. The massively strong structures to keep things from blowing away just costs too much for a home owner. Solar panels are a much better deal.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2010/12/turbines_13_million_homes_have.html

 

Treadmills ususally have a nice DC motor you can convert to a generator, plus some good electronic stuff. You can also use the rollers and tread, cut up, to make a nice VAWT. Use solar with it.

 

Welcome back guy.

 

Here are some interesting articles on windpower you might want to read first.

http://homepower.com/view/?file=HP143_pg52_Woofenden

http://homepower.com/view/?file=HP105_pg64_Woofenden

 

here is a good starting point for a DIY project to help you learn more about wind power.... http://www.morse-code.com/windmill_generator.htm...

 

Guys, you're responding to a post that's 6 months old.

 

Guys, you're responding to a post that's 6 months old.

Doh!

 

The spamer on post 11 started it, I suspect he'll be gone soon, leaved behind confusion and el mech holding the bag.