Personal Wind Power 101

Do you want to be part of the green movement and start supplying yourself with power from the wind? You aren’t the only one – now is the time to join in and use wind power to kick you power bill.

Getting started is a cinch if you buy a prefabricated wind turbine – one that is pre-made.

To really power your house, you are looking at an investment of anywhere from $5000 to $20,000. Assuming you have average electricity usage, this investment pays for itself within about 10 to 15 years.

This return on your investment is tolerable, but to get the most bang for your dollar, the best option is to go the do-it-yourself route and build your own wind turbine.

If you build carefully, you will see that you can produce the same results as the pre-made wind turbine, for an investment as low as $200.

The following list should get you on your way to powering your home with wind:

* DC Motor

* Sheets of metal (for making the tail and body)

* ABS or PVC pipe (to construct your wind turbine blades)

* Hub (to connect your blades to the motor)

* Tower (to hold up your blades)

* Deep-Cycle Battery (energy storage)

* Charge Controller (to prevent the battery from overloading)

* A dump load to absorb excess power

* AC Inverter (if you need to use AC power)

* Nuts and bolts (connects blades, hubs, and other pieces)

* Tools

It is simple to see that a do-it-yourself wind turbine requires more technical savvy than it takes to produce your own solar panels. This is because the device is more complicated mechanically.

The best part is that a homemade wind turbine will output more power than a solar device. If you do it right and have enough wind you could get up to 500 watts from one wind device. This means you’ll only need a few to power yourself solely on wind.

Before you start you should make sure you have enough wind to make it worth you while, otherwise all your work will be for naught. Your best bet is to only use wind turbines if you average wind speed is at least 10 mph. If you are in a low, tree-covered area, then wind power probably isn’t you best bet.

If it is the case that your home isnt ideal for the use of a wind turbine, consider solar panels, the next-best option!