Because you are living off the power grid and have limit power to use, your family lifestyle has to be changed to suit the limited power available.

A couple that I know which managed to live off the grid through their own personal effort is Les and Jane Oke from Canada. In fact, the Oke’s family has been living off the grid for more than 15 years using solar and wind energy.

Les has also written a couple of books on DIY home renewable energy system. One of it is how he managed to make a residential wind generator to supply the power needed for his home.

Les’ home wind generator plan is available from his web site at www.windplans.com. I have read few of Les’ books before and I thought of doing a quick review on his wind generator blueprints.

Have you wonder how much would a DIY home wind generator cost? How long would it take to make a home wind turbine? I have researched extensively on home solar power system, but my knowledge on wind generator is limited. Therefore, reading Les’ wind guide was really enlightening.

According to Les, a 1000 watt homemade wind generator can be built with as little as $100. However, there is a lot of preplanning to be done.

A home wind generator can be built by using old parts and components. Even the blades of the generator can be made from PVC pipes. The biggest challenge is to spend time sourcing for all the parts.

After reading Les Oke’s how to build a wind generator guide, I understand now what’s involved in making a system to harness to power of the wind. It is a simple process but it does require a lot of hard work.

If you don’t feel like doing all the work yourself, you can actually buy a readymade wind turbine from major hardware stores. But that will set you back a couple of hundred dollars.

Nonetheless, if you are a true DIY enthusiast, you can make the wind turbine all by yourself. What you need now is a good step by step instructional guide. Les Oke’s home wind generator guide will come very handy for you.

==> Click here to visit Les Oke’s web site!

DIY Home Wind Generator

If you are planning to build your own home wind power system, check out the guide from GreenDIYEnergy. The program comes with e-books on homemade wind turbine and High Definition (HD) step by step instructional videos.

==> Click here to visit GreenDIYEnergy now!

There are many components that make up the home wind generator system. One of the key parts is the DC motor. In this blog post, I am going to share some information on choosing the right DC motor.

Where To Find Cheap DC Motor

Some people may be wandering where they can get their hands on some cheap DC motor. The first place that I will normally do my research is at Ebay.

There are literally thousands of motor listed in Ebay. What type of motor you should keep an eye on?

Here are a few criteria. Look for a DC motor with:

1) High Direct Current (DC) voltage.

2) High current output.

3) Low Revolution Per Minute (RPM) rating.

Here’s a tip. Look for permanent magnet alternators. Usually, these motors are more expensive, but they are designed for wind turbine use.

Choosing The DC Motor

Here’s a rule of thumb on DC motor you can use when searching on Ebay.

1) Look for a motor that can generate at least 12V at low RPM.

2) If a motor is rated 325 RPM at 30 Volts, when used as a generator, you can expect it to produce 12 volts or more at some reasonably low rev.

If possible, find a DC motor with RPM rating of under 400.

3) The shaft size of the motor should be over 5/8”. The DC motor on a home wind generator goes through a lot of wear and tear throughout its life time.

Therefore, the motor needs adequate bearings or bushings to accommodate the constant spinning and harsh outdoor treatment it will receive.

It took me a couple of minutes of searching in Ebay and I managed to locate 2 offers that meet the criteria.

Easy Wind Generator Plans

If you are looking for a complete DIY home wind generator plans, check out the Power 4 Home manual. The guide can be found on its main web site at www.power4home.com.

Power 4 Home was written by John Russel who is a Home Energy Expert and an electrician. The manual covers both DIY solar panels and residential wind generator. For more information, read the Power 4 home review on this blog.

==> Click here to visit Power 4 Home now!

Related web pages:
1) Is It Possible To Power Your Home With Wind For Less Than $140?

2) 5 Essential Components to Build a Home Wind Generator

3) IEA Wind – Implementing Agreement for Co-operation in the Research, Development, and Deployment of Wind Energy Systems

Couple of weeks ago, I wrote on how to build a DIY solar panel for less than $200. In actual fact, it can be done for less than $100, but you have to spend a lot of time sourcing for cheap solar cells.

It is the same case with a home built wind generator. You can really get the project cost down if you are willing to spend the time to source for the parts and building material.

The list below is a cost breakdown of a home wind turbine that I got from a very popular residential renewable energy guide.

Just in case you can’t see the list, let me break it down for you.

1) Motor / Generator from Ebay – $26.00

2) Miscellaneous pipe fittings from a hardware store – $41.49

3) Pipe for blades from a hardware store – $12.84

4) Miscellaneous hardware – $8.00

5) Conduit – $19.95

6) Free wood and aluminum from scrap pile – $0

7) Power cable from an old extension – $0

8) Rope and turnbuckles which are already at hand – $0

9) Electric parts from hardware store – $18.47

10) Existing paint – $0

11) Relay from auto parts store – $13.87

The total for of a domestic wind generator with 11 items is $140.62. Well, I guess it’s fair to add couple of dollar for the items that you do now have laying around in your garage.

Remember, the project costing above excludes the home battery storage system. Sourcing and setting up the battery bank is a different project all together.

As you can see, the most expensive portion of a domestic wind generator is in the pipe for blades and miscellaneous pipe fittings. The heavy duty PVC pipe forms the blade structure to capture the kinetic energy of the wind.

The second most costly component is the motor or electric generator. To be fair, the actual cost for the motor will vary.

According to the author of the manual, we can find relatively inexpensive electric generator from Ebay. The trick is to know what type of motor to look for.

There are a couple of criteria you have to follow when sourcing for motor in Ebay. You should look a generator that have:

1) High DC Voltage

2) High current

3) Low Revolution Per Minute (RPM) rating

It is recommended to look for permanent magnet alternators. However, they are usually more expensive but there are designed for wind turbine use.

Finally, the 3rd largest cost in a residential wind generator system is for controlling the power from the electric generator. That is the electronic parts for the charge controller and relay.

Regulating a battery storage for home DIY power generator is a tricky process. Too much power and it will damage the deep cycle batteries. Too little and you will not have enough electricity to run your home electrical appliance.

If you are planning to power your home with wind, you will need the charge controller to charge up the battery. When the batteries are fully charged, you will need a mechanism to dump the extra power on to a load.

Easy Wind Generator Plans

Remember the popular residential renewable energy guide that I got the wind generator construction cost above? It is actually the Power 4 Home e-book from John Russel.

According to John Russel, you can make your own wind power generator for $140 or less. The key is to know where and how to get inexpensive construction material. For more information, check out the Power 4 Home review on this blog.

==> Click here to visit Power 4 Home now!

Related web pages:
1) Electricity Generation Using Small Wind Turbines at Your Home or Farm

2) What do I need to know to purchase a residential wind turbine?

Due to rising energy cost and heightened concerns about our environment, many home owners are opting for renewable energy sources such as wind generator.

However, if you were to engage a professional contractor to build the wind generator, be prepared to invest up wards of $10,000. Some people do not have that kind of budget.

Alternative, many home owners are building their own residential wind power system via Do It Yourself (DIY) approach.

The following is a list of 5 essential components of a homemade wind energy system:

1) Generator.

The generator is one of the key components of the home wind turbine. The function of the generator is to take the kinetic energy from the spinning blades and converting it into Direct Current (DC).

The Direct Current can then be used to charge up a deep cycle battery. The power from the battery will then go to an inverter to change the DC to Alternate Current (AC). The power from the inverter can then be used to power our household electrical appliances.

2) Blades and hub.

The blades of a wind generator are another crucial element to the system. The function of the blades is to harness the potential energy of the wind and then transferring it into the hub.

The blades can be made from various types of material. The most common material for a homemade wind turbine is either PVC pipe or timber planks.

The best material to make the hub is aluminum due to its light weight.

3) Mounting.

The generator, hub and blades are all affixed on a mounting system. In order to make the blades face the direction of the wind, a piece of heavy aluminum sheet is attached to the back of the mount to act as a wind directional tail.

4) Tower.

The completed wind generator is to be placed high up on a tower. A minimum of 10 feet from the ground is recommended.

To make sure the town is sturdy, it has to be strung tight with steel cables anchored to 4 big wooden stakes on the ground.

5) Charge Controller.

The charge controller is where the cables from the turbine will be connected to. The main function of the charge controller to charge up a deep cycle battery. The controller will stop charging the battery when it is full. Overcharging will reduce the lifespan of the battery.

Another function of the charge controller is to prevent any backflow of current from the battery to the generator. Without the charge controller and when the blades are idle, the generator will slowly drain the power from the battery which took hours to charge.

Homemade Wind Generator For Under $100

Do you want to know how to make your own home wind generator for under $100? If you do, check out the “Build a Wind Generator Plans” manual from Les Oke.

Les Oke and his family have been living off the grid for more than 15 years. He will show you step-by-step how to building an inexpensive residential wind power system on his guide.

==> Click here to read more about Build a Wind Generator Plans now!

Interesting web site:

1) www.windturbines.net is positioned to be the largest social network for the wind turbine community where the public and profession can come together to get advice, share ideas and network for career advancement.

The wind turbine was imported from Holland and setup in a test site in Shropshire, UK.

One thing is certain, the wind turbine cost 3500 pound sterling and it could provide one third of the electricity power needed for year.

There’s a disclaimer though, you have to live in a rural countryside area where the wind is strong and constant. Check out the video below.

Related web sites:
1) Earth 4 Energy & Power 4 Home Review

2) Power 4 Home Review – A Complete Review of John Russel Power4Home

3) Power 4 Home Scam – Is Power4Home Just Another Scam?

Other related web sites:

A home windmill can be used to supplement the energy demand of your house hence reducing your dependency on the power utility companies. But before you rush out to install a large fan blade to harness the wind energy, here’s some points to consider.

Just like in any DIY green energy power system, there are advantages and disadvantages. In regards to a domestic wind turbine, not all houses are suitable to use such technology.

The effectiveness of wind generator depends on the locality and also the weather.

One major considering for a home windmill to work properly is “wind speed”. The blades need a strong gasp of wind to generate enough kinetic energy to produce sufficient electricity.

On average, we are looking at a wind speed of 6 mph and above. This will also depend on the size of blades, the diameter and also its weight. A stronger wind is needed to move a heavy blade due to its momentum.

How would you know the average wind speed in your area? Easy, we ask our friendly Google search engine for help. Go to Google.com and type in “wind speed” and follow by your city.

For example, when I type in “wind speed San Francisco”, I get “Real-Time San Francisco Bay Wind Patterns” as the first listing.

The website will give the wind speed information I am looking for. As a rule of thumb, if the average wind speed in your area is above 10 mph, a domestic wind turbine system may work for your home.

It will be an ideal situation where you can totally eliminate your home power dependency from the grid just by using wind energy.

However, wind is unpredictable which mean it is unreliable as the only power source for your house. For a complete renewable energy system, you may look into home solar panel as a synergistic power system.

Related web sites:
1) Earth 4 Energy and Power 4 Home Review – Learn How To Build Your Own Residential/Homemade Solar Power Systems, Solar Panels And Windmills Do It Yourself (DIY).

2) Greenwashing Hits Microwind Turbines, Perform 1/3 of Performance Expectations

3) Home Wind Turbine

4) Wind turbine controversy

5) Magnets 4 Energy Scam – Is Magnets 4 Energy A Fraudulent Scam? Beware Of All The Hype!