Earth Power Energy Systems

Wind turbine power, including the energy generated from wind farms, has been used by manufacturing companies, power companies, and other large organizations for years.

However, despite its widespread use already, many consumers have yet to see everyday applications of wind power in their real-world environments. After all, without constant exposure to the physical wind power infrastructure or daily reminders of the use of wind power in electricity generation, many people still view wind power technologies as theoretical and minimally implemented. That limited exposure to wind power is changing—and changing fast. As the cost of renewable energy technology becomes increasingly affordable for the everyday consumer, more and more wind turbines are being added in everyday environments, including cities and office complexes.

Here are a few facts about wind power that you may find interesting, especially as you begin to investigate wind power solutions in your own work or home environment: Today we know that wind power is the fastest growing source of renewable electricity in the world According to the Union of Concerned Scientists—a science-based non-profit organization dedicated to creating a healthier environment and safer world to live in. According to the organization, in the U.S. alone, “2,431 MW of wind power as installed in 2005, capable of producing enough electricity to power 650,000 typical homes.” Moreover, the organization estimates that windy cities could deliver four times the amount of energy needed to power the nation—from wind alone!

The U.S. government is also dedicated to adopting wind technology and plans to help the nation get 20 percent of its energy from wind sources by 2030. In fact, the government is so committed to helping people incorporate wind technologies into their everyday power systems that they offer a tax credit for up to 30 percent of the cost of wind technology, including installation!

Wind turbines can create a significant amount of energy; even a small wind turbine can create up to 20,000 kWh per year. Large wind turbines can produce more than 200,000 kWh per year—enough to power large manufacturing plants or office parks, in many cases.

Business advantages to using renewable energy sources There are many advantages to using wind-powered technology in a business complex. Not only does wind energy safe businesses money off of the cost of electricity, but wind is also a renewable “green” resource, which helps businesses minimize their impact on the environment.

In addition, consumers tend to look favorably at businesses that help to protect the environment. Therefore, there are far-reaching implications to using wind power to generate electricity for a business. Wind power is more reliable when connected to the grid In general, wind power is a reliable source of energy—especially in windy areas, including the mid-west. However, when people have problems with their wind turbine power generation, the problems generally arise from a breakdown of the power inverter, which converts DC power to AC power.

When connected to the utility grid, the utility grid can serve as a back-up power source in the event of… Continue reading →

I just finished building my own wind turbine using ideas from different guides and videos. I started with no knowledge of wind turbines other than my electrical back ground as an electrician.

The Internet is an amazing tool for finding information on just about any subject imaginable. I started my search for information about residential wind turbines, and how I could build one without much cost and very little material. I found what I was looking for and gathered all the material to start building. I decided to use a low rpm motor which is a DC permanent magnet motor. I am building this system for 12 volt, but you could use even higher voltage depending on your own requirements.

One problem that I encountered was the tower and height to mount it at. So, I decided on 2” rigid conduit, mounted at 15 feet high. I poured a concrete base using anchor bolts strong enough to hold my 2” conduit that I mounted on a steel floor flange. I know I am jumping ahead of the building process but wanted this thought to stick in your mind. If you are in an area that does not allow for long guy wires to make your pole rigid, then you will have to do as I have and use the bigger, heavier conduit. My point is that you do not want your turbine loosely mounted; you need a good rigid mount.

Ok, back on track. I used a motor I purchased on an auction website that fits inside of 3” PVC; I had to split the PVC to let the motor fit inside the PVC. I used two pipe straps to secure the motor inside the PVC. I have pictures available for anyone who might be interested. Using a three inch PVC tee fitting, I reduced it down to two inch for the tail section which I tried to balance experimenting with different lengths of PVC. I reduced the tee section down so that the section of PVC would fit inside the 2” rigid conduit approximately one foot making a fairly tight but not to tight to allow greasing of the pivot points.

Naturally, the wiring was done to the motor before any PVC was added. Talking about the wiring, one very important point to note, to prevent wire twisting or wrapping, you must provide a stop to prevent this from happening. What I did was to drill through the pivot point above the 2” rigid conduit a ¼’ hole to allow access for a bolt to stick out long enough to catch a pin mounted to the rigid conduit that will prevent the wind turbine from free spinning.

With this wind turbine I can charge a 12 volt battery and have emergency power using an inverter supplying household voltage to run what I choose. To take a closer look at my system, you can visit my website at www.earthpowerenergysystems.net . I am a do it yourselfer, and proud of the… Continue reading →