Large wind farms are being installed in many parts of the world but the popularity of small wind turbines among homeowners and commercial businesses is also rapidly growing as small wind turbines are now being increasingly used to supplement energy consumption and also serve as an alternative mean to help our environment from pollution caused by fossil fuels.
If we look at the current numbers and expert predictions we can see that 2008 revenue of $165 million in small wind turbines industry should grow approximately 2,5 times to $412 million by 2013 if estimates from Pike's Small Wind Power report are correct.
But why are small wind turbines becoming so popular? The main reason of their popularity is the fact that on a cost-per-watt basis many are finding small wind turbines to be less expensive than solar panels, so they are economically the most acceptable way to go for clean energy.
If you decide to give small wind turbine a chance then you also need to know that you can save some money by building wind turbine blades at home. This isn't as difficult as many people think it is.
You can build you homemade wind generator blades from different materials but the most commonly used materials are PVC and wood. When it comes to choosing between these two materials then I would suggest you go with the PVC because PVC represents better value for your money compared to wood. It is much easier to balance wind turbine blades made from PVC compared to the ones made of wood which will in the end result in less time needed to build them. Also, wood is less water protective, and once wood starts absorbing moisture you can forget about balanced blades because instead of balance you will see lot of wobbles, and once your blades start wobbling they'll be far less efficient. So the PVC is definitely the recommended option.
So now that we have decided to go with the PVC we need to determine the size of blades. It is vital that you measure everything perfectly because only by ensuring perfect measures you will ensure the maximum efficiency in harnessing wind energy. If your blades are no more than 30" in length the 4" diameter PVC should be sufficient, and if you plan to build blades over 30" in length then you should definitely consider using the stronger 6" PVC pipe.
Balancing the blades can often seem like a very difficult task. But there is a rather simple solution to overcome this problem. You should put numbers 1, 2, 3 on each of your blades, and then give your blades a decent spin. After a couple of spins you will see which blade ends up most often at the bottom, and then you simply trim a little bit of the end of that blade off, and then give it another spin. This shouldn't take much of your time.
To conclude, with just the basic technical skills you can build your own wind turbine blades in couple of hours’ time. It's as easy as that. Good luck.
If we look at the current numbers and expert predictions we can see that 2008 revenue of $165 million in small wind turbines industry should grow approximately 2,5 times to $412 million by 2013 if estimates from Pike's Small Wind Power report are correct.
But why are small wind turbines becoming so popular? The main reason of their popularity is the fact that on a cost-per-watt basis many are finding small wind turbines to be less expensive than solar panels, so they are economically the most acceptable way to go for clean energy.
If you decide to give small wind turbine a chance then you also need to know that you can save some money by building wind turbine blades at home. This isn't as difficult as many people think it is.
You can build you homemade wind generator blades from different materials but the most commonly used materials are PVC and wood. When it comes to choosing between these two materials then I would suggest you go with the PVC because PVC represents better value for your money compared to wood. It is much easier to balance wind turbine blades made from PVC compared to the ones made of wood which will in the end result in less time needed to build them. Also, wood is less water protective, and once wood starts absorbing moisture you can forget about balanced blades because instead of balance you will see lot of wobbles, and once your blades start wobbling they'll be far less efficient. So the PVC is definitely the recommended option.
So now that we have decided to go with the PVC we need to determine the size of blades. It is vital that you measure everything perfectly because only by ensuring perfect measures you will ensure the maximum efficiency in harnessing wind energy. If your blades are no more than 30" in length the 4" diameter PVC should be sufficient, and if you plan to build blades over 30" in length then you should definitely consider using the stronger 6" PVC pipe.
Balancing the blades can often seem like a very difficult task. But there is a rather simple solution to overcome this problem. You should put numbers 1, 2, 3 on each of your blades, and then give your blades a decent spin. After a couple of spins you will see which blade ends up most often at the bottom, and then you simply trim a little bit of the end of that blade off, and then give it another spin. This shouldn't take much of your time.
To conclude, with just the basic technical skills you can build your own wind turbine blades in couple of hours’ time. It's as easy as that. Good luck.
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