At first, Survey your home, wind, money
Step 1 – Get the Plans
Buy the plans for building a particular type of wind generator you want. Choose one plan and study the drawings and manuals. You can get plans from renewable energy service providers on the Internet.
Step 2 – Buy a Generator
You do not need necessarily a brand new generator. You can get a good generator from online auctions for as low as $10. Test your generator by connecting it to a 12-volt light bulb. Turn on the shaft with your fingers and see if the bulb lights up. Make a final test by connecting a simulation load to the generator using a drill press. If the generator produces several hundreds of watts with this test, it can work perfectly with the blades to generate a lot of wind power.
Step 3 – Create the Blades
Make blades by cutting portions of PVC pipe and forming them into airfoils. Cut portions measuring 24 inches long and 6 inches wide. Fold the PVC pipe in a U-shaped square cross section. Cut the lengths into four longitudinal divisions. Make the first blade and use it as a reference to make three additional blades. Smooth and shape the edges of the blades with sandpaper.
Step 4 – Create the Hub
Get a toothed pulley system to make a hub. You can use an old pulley from your workshop or garage. Check the pulley if it fits on the shaft of the motor generator. Its diameter must be suitable for bolting onto the blades. Get a 0.25 inches thick aluminum metal disk with a radius of about 2.5 inches and bolt it onto the blades. If the disk does not fit on the shaft of the motor, you must connect the two pieces with a bolt.
Step 5 – Create a Mounting
Create a platform to mount the turbine by using a piece of wood. Select a piece of wood that is 4 inches long and 2 inches wide. Strap the generator to the wood platform. Create a weather shield from PVC pipe that is about 4 inches in diameter.
Step 6 – Make a Tower
Build a tower using a steel conduit 1.25 inches in diameter and an iron pipe about 1 inch in diameter. The iron pipe must have a slightly smaller diameter than the steel conduit so that it can fit tight at both ends. Attach an iron flange by centering it 7 1/4 inches from the wood platform (4x2) inches. Screw an iron nipple into the flange to form a bearing. Drill holes on the (4x2) inches wood platform to make way for generator wires that must pass through the tower base.
Step 7 – Build the Tower Base
Cut a plywood disk measuring 2 feet in diameter. Make a U-shaped set-up using 1-inch pipe fitting. Install a T-section about 1 1/4 inches onto the set-up. The T-section acts a hinge for raising and lowering the steel tower. Add a 12-inch nipple, closing nipple and a 1 1/4 to 1 reducer. Add another T-section (1 inch) between the 12-inch nipple and the reducer to create a passage for electrical wiring. Drill holes on the 2-foot diameter plywood disk so that you can insert bolts to fix it firmly onto the ground.
