Whether you want to get set up to live off the grid or just want to experiment with getting some extra power to keep down your energy bills, building your own residential wind power system is something you need to look into.

So why don't you and your neighbors go out and buy some turbines? Because commercial ones can retail for exorbitant prices - $2000 to $6000, even. They are still worth the money because they last for a long time and in a year or two they have paid for themselves, but there is an alternative. If you have the right plans you can build your own, in fact. And it's not complicated, and it's not expensive. you can do it for around $150-$300 depending on the amount of power you want to produce.

What will you need to make your own wind generator?

You'll need a work area, good blueprints, basic tools and four to seven days.

The components of a wind generator:

The wind generator consist of four parts, the blades and hub, the body, tail, and the tower it sits on. It takes longer to build the blades and hub than it does the rest of the system, so it's best to get that over with first. It is very easy but takes some time.

The motor converts the rotation of the blades to electricity. It is the most expensive part. Your manual will tell you how to install it best and what size you'll need and all the other technical details about this part.

For the body I recommend double walled stainless steel, which will last a long time and is very cheap. You can get it from a chimney pipe or a wood stove pipe.

The tail is very simple but usually essential to make sure your turbine is pointed in the right direction. Make it sturdy so it can withstand storm winds.

You can buy or build your own tower. The best thing to do is find an old TV tower and recycle it for you wind generator tower. Many people will even pay you to take them down and get them out of their way.

These are some of the basics of building a wind turbine (and believe me, it doesn't get much more complicated). All you need now is a manual to get you started saving money and the environment. - 109