Taking advantage of wind power is not a new thing. During the mid to late 1800s, settlers often used the wind to assist in the pumping of water. This was especially useful on the Great Plains, where water needed to be moved over large distances for irrigation and other uses. Without these wind mills, life would have been impossible.

Although the trend today is utilizing the wind for electricity, the concept is the basically the same as it was back then: a simple windmill for home use. If your goal is to construct one of these home wind turbines (for electricity), it is a good idea to understand the basic theory behind these devices.

Wind Generated Electricity:

1. For a windmill to work, the blades need to face into the wind. A tail fin is generally used to rotate the blades so that they face the wind.
2. Next, the wind rotates the blades of the turbine. The difference in pressure between the blades causes them to spin. This concept is similar to that of an airplane wing.
3. The rotation of the propeller also causes an axel within the windmill to spin, activating a DC motor. Through the use of a permanent magnet, this spinning of the motor is what generates a DC current.
4. Similar to solar panels, this current needs to be stored somehow. The easiest way is through the use of deep cycle batteries.
5. Finally, for use with home appliances, the DC current needs to be converted to Alternating Current. This can be accomplished with the help of an inverter.

This list covers the basics of a simple home wind mill that can be used to generate electricity. In today’s day and age of instant internet access, it is easy to find many different online plans for home wind turbines. For those of you interested in cutting down your power bills and helping the environment, I have compiled and rated a selection of the best online guides to constructing your own wind mills and solar panels. Please check out my product review page!

The best DIY wind turbine guide is hands down Earth4Energy Wind. Find out more here!

Tags: home made energy guide, home wind power, home wind turbine, wind generated electricity