The activities of individuals and the whole of this humanity is practically impossible without electricity. Unfortunately, the rapidly increasing consumption of oil and gas, coal and peat leads to a decrease in the reserves of these resources on the planet. What can be done while the earthlings still have all this? According to the conclusions of experts, it is precisely the development of energy complexes that can solve the problems of global economic and financial crises. Therefore, the search and use of non-fuel energy sources become most relevant.
Renewable, environmental, green
Perhaps it’s not worth reminding that everything new is well forgotten old. People learned how to use the strength of the river and the speed of the wind to obtain mechanical energy a long time ago. The sun heats us water and moves cars, feeds spaceships. The wheels installed in the channels of streams and small rivers supplied water to the fields back in the Middle Ages. One windmill could provide flour to several surrounding villages.
At the moment, we are interested in a simple question: how to provide your home with cheap light and heat, how to make a windmill with your own hands? 5 kW of power or slightly less, the main thing is that you can supply your home with current for the operation of electrical appliances.
It is interesting that in the world there is a classification of buildings by the level of resource efficiency:
- ordinary, built before 1980-1995;
- Low and ultra-low-power - up to 45-90 kWh per 1 kV / m;
- passive and non-volatile, receiving current from renewable sources (for example, installing a rotary wind generator (5 kW) with your own hands or a system of solar panels, you can solve this problem);
- energy-efficient buildings that generate electricity more than they need receive money by giving it through the network to other consumers.
It turns out that own, home mini-stations installed on roofs and in courtyards, over time, can become a kind of competition to large current suppliers. And the governments of different countries in every possible way encourage the creation and active use of alternative energy sources.
How to determine the profitability of your own power plant
Researchers have proven that the reserve capacity of winds is much larger than all the accumulated centuries-old fuel reserves. Among the ways to get energy from renewable sources, windmills have a special place, since their manufacture is simpler than creating solar panels. In fact, a 5 kW wind generator can be assembled with your own hands, having the necessary components, among which are magnets, copper wire, plywood and metal for the blades.
Experts say that not only the right shape, but also built in the right place can be productive and, accordingly, profitable. This means that it is necessary to take into account the presence, constancy and even the speed of air flows in each individual case and even in a particular region. If the area periodically comes calm, calm and calm days, the device mast with a generator will not bring any benefit.
Before you start making a windmill with your hands (5 kW), it is necessary to consider his model and the view. You should not expect a large energy output from a weak design. And vice versa, when you need to power only a couple of bulbs in the country, it makes no sense to build a huge windmill with your own hands. 5 kW - sufficient power to provide electricity to almost the entire lighting system and home appliances. There will be a constant wind - there will be light.
How to make a wind generator with your own hands: a sequence of actions
At the site selected for the high mast, the windmill itself is strengthened with a generator attached to it. The generated energy through the wires goes to the desired room. It is believed that the higher the mast design, the larger the diameter of the wind wheel and the stronger the air flow, the higher the efficiency of the entire device. In fact, this is not entirely true:
- for example, a strong hurricane can easily break the blades;
- some models can be installed on the roof of an ordinary house;
- A correctly selected turbine starts easily and works perfectly even when the wind is at a very low speed.
The main types of windmills
Classical constructions are those with horizontal placement of the axis of rotation of the rotor. Usually they have 2-3 blades and are installed at a high height from the ground. The highest efficiency of such an installation is manifested with an air flow of a constant direction and its speed of 10 m / s. A significant drawback of this blade structure is the failure of the rotation of the blades with a frequently changing, gusty wind direction. This leads either to unproductive work or to the destruction of the entire installation. To start such a generator after stopping, it is necessary to force the initial spinning of the blades. In addition, with active rotation of the blade, they make specific, unpleasant sounds to the human ear.
A vertical wind generator (“Top” 5 kW or another) has a different rotor placement. H-shaped or barrel-shaped turbines capture wind of any direction. These designs are smaller, run even at the weakest air flows (at 1.5-3 m / s), do not require high masts, they can be used even in urban conditions. In addition, the rated power of wind turbines, with their own hands (5 kW - this is real) collected, reached at a wind of 3-4 m / s.
Sails not on ships, but on land
One of the popular trends in wind energy now is the creation of a horizontal generator with soft blades. The main difference is both the manufacturing material and the form itself: the created windmills with their own hands (5 kW, sailing type) have 4-6 triangular fabric blades. Moreover, unlike traditional designs, their cross section increases in the direction from the center to the periphery. This feature allows not only to "catch" a weak wind, but also to avoid losses during a hurricane air flow.
The advantages of sailing ships are the following indicators:
- high power during slow rotation;
- independent orientation and adjustment to any wind;
- high weathering and low inertia;
- no need for forced unwinding of the wheel;
- completely silent rotation even at high speeds;
- lack of vibrations and sound disturbances;
- relative cheapness of the design.
DIY windmills
5 kW of necessary electricity can be obtained in several ways:
- to build a simple rotary structure;
- collect a complex of several successively arranged on the same axis sailing wheels;
- use axial design with neodymium magnets.
It is important to remember that the power of the wind wheel is proportional to the product of the cubic value of the wind speed and the swept area of the turbine. So, how to make wind turbine 5 kW? Instructions further.
As a basis, you can take a car hub and brake discs. 32 magnets (25 by 8 mm) are arranged in parallel in a circle on future disks of the rotor (moving part of the generator) for each disk of 16 pieces, moreover, the pluses must alternate with the minuses. Opposite magnets must have different pole values. After marking and placing everything on the circle is filled with epoxy.
Coils of copper wire are placed on the stator. Their number should be less than the number of magnets, that is 12. Previously, all the wires are brought out and connected to each other by a star or a triangle, then they are also filled with epoxy glue. It is recommended to insert pieces of plasticine into the coils before pouring. After hardening the resin and removing it, there will remain holes that are needed for ventilation and cooling of the stator.
How does it all work
The rotor disks, rotating relative to the stator, form a magnetic field, and an electric current arises in the coils. A windmill, connected by means of a pulley system, is needed in order to move these parts of the working structure. How to make a wind generator with your own hands? Some begin to manufacture their own power plant with a generator assembly. Other - by creating a blade rotating part.
The shaft from the windmill is coupled by a sliding connection to one of the rotor disks. A lower, second disk with magnets is placed on a strong bearing. The stator is located in the middle. All parts are attached to the plywood circle with long bolts and secured with nuts. Between all the "pancakes" must leave minimal gaps for the free rotation of the rotor discs. The result is a 3-phase generator.
"Barrel"
It remains to make windmills. With your own hands, a 5 kW rotating structure can be made of 3 circles of plywood and a sheet of the thinnest and lightest duralumin. Metal rectangular wings are attached to the plywood with bolts and corners. Previously, in each plane of the circle, guiding grooves in the form of a wave are hollowed out into which the sheets are inserted. The resulting rotor has four floors of corrugated blades attached to each other at right angles. That is, between each two bonded hubs plywood pancakes are located 2 curved in the form of a wave duralumin blades.
This design is centered on a steel stud, which will transmit torque to the generator. DIY windmills (5 kW) created by such a design weigh about 16-18 kg with a height of 160-170 cm and a base diameter of 80-90 cm.
What to consider
Windmill “barrel” can be installed even on the roof of the building, although a tower 3-4 meters high is enough. However, it is necessary to protect the generator housing from natural precipitation. It is also recommended that you install an energy storage battery.
To obtain an alternating current from a 3-phase direct current, the converter must be included in the circuit.
With a sufficient number of windy days in the region, a do-it-yourself windmill (5 kW) can provide not only a TV and light bulbs with current, but also a video surveillance system, air conditioning, a refrigerator and other electrical equipment.