Please provide any information concerning the construction of a homemade windmill that will generate enough power to remove us from the grid.

Thanks, Patsy Tatman

-- Patsy Tatman (tatpat@shentel.net), February 04, 2001

Answers

Assuming your farm is total electric, 30-40KW ought to be big enough. Maybe $50,00 for parts.

-- Joe (CactusJoe001@AOL.com), February 04, 2001.

Hi Patsy

Wind power is something I've been researching for about a year now, to power a farm you're going to need about a 10KW wind generator, something like an old Jacobs or the newer Bergey Excels, anything bigger than that and you're beginning to move into the serious utility-grade wind generators.

If you build absolutely everything yourself, carve your own blades, and scrounge like a madman your material costs will be around $2000.00 US, the biggest cost will be the tower (which needs to be at least 30 feet higher than anything within 500 feet of it) and the motor itself.

Im planning on building a 10 KW genny myself, so far its looking like I will be spending around $4500 or so; thats for the 100 foot tower, an efficient permanent magnet motor (originally designed for an electric car), and a set of 5 blades.

I'd recommend that you read all the books by Hugh Piggot and Paul Gipe, if not in your local library you can order them from www.picoturbine.com. I'd also recommend you check out the definitive wind power forum at: http://www.egroups.com/list/awea-wind-home . Hugh Piggot is a prolific poster there and all the big names in wind power post there, its an absolutely excellent forum. Right now there is a really interesting discussion going on about how to convert induction motors into permanent magnet motors.

Hope it helps a bit

Dave

-- Dave (Ak) (daveh@ecosse.net), February 04, 2001.

Do you know how to build one of those Joe? I've always wondered how to do that too. We live on a very windy hill!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), February 04, 2001.

Patsy, First we need to know where you are to know if wind power is even an option. How much power do you need? Can you live on 12volts system or do you need 120volts? Unless you on the coast and get a steady breeze all the time, your going to need more than just wind power to go off the grid. Solar panels and a backup generator will be needed.

A car generator, battery and a prop will generate power in the right conditons, but may not work for you. If your power needs are small, few hundred watts, go buy one of the air 400 series generators. Reasonable small, works great and reasonable low cost.

-- Gary (gws@redbird.net), February 05, 2001.

Like the above answer, you need to get a devise that measures wind over a long period.(a year is best) to see if wind power is even feasable. Most any wind power supplier will sell them or even rent them. Backwoods Solar in Sandpoint ID. for sure has them.

-- Darren in Idaho (darrencindy2000@yahoo.com), February 06, 2001.

Patsy, I had the same idea. We live in the high desert of southern Utah & enjoy/endure almost constant wind. Hubby says a wind generator big enough to supply all our power would be (a)expensive!& (b)annoying!. Best bet is a hybrid system of solar & wind. We put in such a system 4 years ago & it's working great! Kansas Wind Power has a fine catalog. We have a Air Wind generator & it's provided beautiful service for fairly low cost ($500.00 apprx). The generator is only part of the system, though. To be honest, the cost of putting together a workable system is a little scary, but will pay for it self down the road.

-- Jenny Malone (devildog@page.az.com), February 06, 2001.

I have something a lot better. I created a wind mill design that can be built from three 55 gallon drums and $50 in hardware, that turns in 3 mph wind and won't overspeed up to 120 mph, with a standard automobile alternator modified to produce up to 10 kilowatts. Not only that, but I have designed and built a microprocessor control which regulates the power produced by the alternator at any rpm so the the alternator can be directly coupled to the fan's shaft.

-- Paul Clint (smithja@sisna.com), April 03, 2001.