How To Make Your Own Windmill – Essential Tips

Buying a ready-made windmill can easily cost anywhere from 12,000 to 30,000 dollars, so it is worth thinking about how to build your own windmill. In fact it is very easy and straightforward, and there are plenty of people who claim to have done it for less than 200 dollars. For this sort of money you will not get a very large windmill, but the potential savings on your electricity bills will still be very significant.

So what steps do you have to take to build your own windmill? Before setting out on this project, you should consider a few things first:

• Average wind speed in your area. In spite of what others might say, windmills do not work very well in average winds under 10 mph. The US Department of Energy has made available detailed wind resource maps, which should be checked before making a windmill.

• Local building regulations and codes. Find out if you will be allowed to build the type of windmill you want. Usually, small windmills will be acceptable, but it is better to be safe than sorry.

• Space available for the windmill. For a small windmill you should allow about half an acre.

• Adjacent properties. Good idea to talk to neighbors at the planning stage, and overcome their objections to potential noise, interference with TV reception and similar concerns.

• Windmill capacity. You only want a windmill that will generate enough electricity for your needs. The utility company will not buy any surplus from you, only offset against any power you draw from the grid.

• Batteries. If you intend to live off-grid you will need to have batteries for electricity storage. These can cost you nothing if you know the secret. Or you might decide to use your windmill simply as a way of reducing your draw on the grid supply.

These and other considerations make it sensible to get some guidance and advice from experts in windmill design and construction in the early stages of planning the project. You will then be able to select the right plans for your circumstances, and these need to include comprehensive lists of materials and clear assembly instructions.

You need only a few components to build your own windmill. Typically these are:

• A propeller (usually 3 propeller blades fixed to a hub)

• A DC motor

• A tail fin

• A mounting shaft to which these are fitted

• A mounting pole

• An inverter, if AC is required

• Storage batteries

With some electrical cable and a collection of nuts and bolts, that’s all you need. You probably have most of the necessary parts in your shed but, even if you have to buy them, you should be able to assemble all you need for less than 200 dollars. Even a diy novice can put together a small windmill and fit it in a weekend.

Detailed step-by-step instructions and diagrams to show you how to build your own windmill are beyond the scope of this article, but they are available for very little money. Practical-Solar has more information.