All wind generators operate on the same principle: the wind rotates the blades, the blade transmits rotation to the rotor, the rotor generates a current that
after transformations in the controller and inverter, it acquires the characteristics required by the consumer (frequency 50 Hz, power 220 V). Energy is stored in batteries.High-power wind generators are used to produce electricity on an industrial scale. Typically these are giant three-blade wind turbines with a parallel axis of rotation (the so-called classic design), but turbine wind turbines have also become widespread. Commercial wind turbines can be built using a different design, but most companies prefer to use wind generators of a classic design.
Feasibility of installation
It is advisable to install wind generators in areas where the average wind speed is more than 8 m/s. The blades of large generators begin to rotate in winds of 4 m/s; maximum efficiency is achieved at 12 m/s. The power of a 3-blade wind generator with a horizontal axis is estimated by the formula:
- P – design power, kW;
- r – distance from the central point of the rotor to the end of the blade, m;
- v – average speed, m/s;
- ¶=3.14.
For example, if the distance from the center of the rotor to the end of the wings is 6 m, the wind speed is 9 m/s, the power will be approximately 49.5 kW.
Most industrial power plants are large areas in valleys, desert areas where the wind blows most of the time, with many generators spinning simultaneously. Wind farms are also being built directly in the seas.
Grandiose projects
One of the greatest wind energy projects is the construction of the Enercon E-126 wind turbine. This is a vane generator with a horizontal axis of rotation and 3 blades. Enercon is currently the largest and most powerful wind turbine in the world.
The world's largest industrial wind generator Enercon E-126
The length of one wing is 63 m, the diameter of the circle described by the blades is 127 m, the height of the base is 135 m. The weight of this huge structure is about 6000 tons. The maximum generator power is 7.58 MW.
This miracle of technical thought was installed near the German city of Emden in 2007. The windmill blades make 5-11.7 revolutions/min, and the minimum wind speed for rotating the wings is 3 m/s.
Wind generator Vestas V164-8.0 MW
Vestas built a wind generator of the same type V164-8.0 MW with a capacity of 8 MW. The height of the mast was 140 m, the length of one wing was 80 m.
Offshore wind generator
A large floating wind turbine was built by the Japanese after the explosion at the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The height of the mast is about 105 m, the power is 7 MW.
San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm, California. Includes 3218 wind generators producing 615 MW of electricity.
The Maple Ridge Wind Farm is the largest in New York State. Put into operation in 2006. The farm will meet 75% of New York's electricity needs.
Lynn and Dowsing Wind Farm, Lincolnshire, UK, has been operating since 2008. Provides energy to 130,000 homes.
The wind farm on Rosa Island in Antarctica produces 999 kW (3 turbines, each generating 333 kW). A farm was installed on Crater Hill to supply Scott Station (New Zealand) and McMurdo Station (USA). Wind turbines satisfy 11% of the needs of research stations.
Arctic village Amderma
A wind power plant in the Russian Arctic village of Amderma. Consists of 4 turbines generating up to 677.2 MW (38.6% of the energy consumed by residents). The price of 1 kW of wind energy is about 20 rubles, versus 65.51 rubles that residents of Amderm pay for electricity generated by a diesel generator. Diesel used in local power plants is expensive and highly polluting. The use of wind generators can significantly reduce the cost of energy and improve the environmental situation. And some northern craftsmen make wind generators with their own hands.
Tehachapi Pass, California, one of the oldest stations in operation today. The station was built in 1980 and is periodically repaired and updated.
Wheatley Farm, Scotland, has 140 installations, supplying electricity to 180,000 homes. This is one of the most powerful stations in Europe.
Chinese wind farm Gansu with a capacity of about 8 GW. Built in Jiuquan City and constantly modernized. In 2017, the capacity is planned to be increased to 17 GW, and by 2020 – to 20 GW.
Flying wind turbine Buoyant Airborne Turbine
The flying windmill Buoyant Airborne Turbine is a three-bladed generator with a horizontal axis in a special airship. The installation is located in Alaska, 600 meters above ground level. The working gas of the airship is helium. The power of the ventilation generator is 30 kW.
Wind farm in the Russian village of Ust-Kamchatsk, Kamchatka, generating 1 MW. The complex includes 4 wind machines.
Muppandal Wind Power Plant, India, producing 1500 MW. Built in Tamil Nadu in 2011.
The Jaisalmer wind power plant in India's Rajistan state produces 1063 MW. Put into operation in 2012.
The Alta, California power plant produces 1,020 MW of energy. Launched in 2010.
Honda has built a wind farm in Brazil to supply its car plant. Installation capacity is 95,000 MW/year.
South Australia's wind farms are up to half of their energy consumption. One of the most powerful stations is Woodlawn.
2 large wind generators with a total capacity of 1520 MW were built in the Zhambyl region of Kazakhstan.
The construction of another, more powerful wind machine “Sea Titan” is being carried out by the American company AMSC. The length of the blade, according to the project, will be 95 m. It is assumed that this will be the most powerful wind generator in the world.
Popular manufacturers
Industrial wind generators of Russian and foreign production can be freely purchased on the Russian market. The most famous wind turbine manufacturing companies are presented below.
- Algatec Solar. This is the Russian branch of the German company “Algabel Solar” for the production of wind generators and solar panels.
- ALTAL GRUP is a Russian company specializing in the production of wind turbines and heat pumps for various climatic zones, including the far north.
- Vestas (sells products through official dealers) is the oldest German wind turbine manufacturing company. Founded in 1898 as a blacksmith shop, it has been producing wind turbines since 1979.
- "EDS Group" production and sale of equipment for the energy sector.
- EnergyWind is a Russian company that produces low-cost windmills of good quality. A 1 kW wind generator costs RUB 54,000.
- "Makhaon" is a Russian manufacturer of low-noise vertical-axis wind turbines.
- "GRC-Vertical" - Russia, Miass - manufacturer of alternative energy generation devices. It produces many different modifications of wind turbines with power from 0.1 to 30 kW.
- SKB Iskra is a manufacturer of wind turbines of various designs. The cost of installations is up to 400,000 rubles.
- Sapsan-Energia is a Moscow company engaged in the development and production of units that generate electricity using environmentally friendly sources.
- "Vetro Svet" - St. Petersburg, manufacturer of wind generators with a capacity of up to 2 kW.
One of the most affordable options for using renewable energy sources is the use of wind energy. To learn how to make calculations, assemble and install a windmill yourself, read this article.
Classification of wind generators
Installations are classified based on the following wind turbine criteria:
- location of the axis of rotation;
- number of blades;
- element material;
- propeller pitch.
Wind turbines, as a rule, have a design with a horizontal and vertical axis of rotation.
Version with a horizontal axis - a propeller design with one, two, three or more blades. This is the most common design of air power plants due to its high efficiency.
Version with a vertical axis - orthogonal and carousel designs using the example of Darrieus and Savonius rotors. The last two concepts should be clarified, since both have some significance in the design of wind generators.
Darrieus rotor is an orthogonal wind turbine design, where aerodynamic blades (two or more) are located symmetrically to each other at a certain distance and mounted on radial beams. A rather complex version of a wind turbine that requires careful aerodynamic design of the blades.
Savonius rotor is a carousel-type wind turbine design, where two semi-cylindrical blades are located one against the other, overall forming a sinusoidal shape. The efficiency of the structures is low (about 15%), but can be almost doubled if the blades are placed in the direction of the wave not horizontally, but vertically and a multi-tier design is used with the angular displacement of each pair of blades relative to the other pairs.
Advantages and disadvantages of wind turbines
The advantages of these devices are obvious, especially in relation to domestic operating conditions. Users of wind turbines actually have the opportunity to generate free electrical energy, not counting the small costs of construction and maintenance. However, the disadvantages of wind power plants are also obvious.
Thus, in order to achieve efficient operation of the installation, the conditions for stability of wind flows must be met. Man cannot create such conditions. This is purely the prerogative of nature. Another technical drawback is the low quality of the generated electricity, as a result of which it is necessary to supplement the system with expensive electrical modules (multipliers, chargers, batteries, converters, stabilizers).
The advantages and disadvantages in terms of the features of each modification of wind turbines, perhaps, balance at zero. If horizontal-axial modifications are characterized by a high efficiency value, then for stable operation they require the use of wind flow direction controllers and devices for protection against hurricane winds. Vertical-axis modifications have low efficiency, but work stably without a mechanism for tracking wind direction. At the same time, such wind turbines are distinguished by a low noise level, eliminate the “spreading” effect in strong winds, and are quite compact.
Homemade wind generators
Making a “windmill” with your own hands is a completely solvable task. Moreover, a constructive and rational approach to business will help minimize inevitable financial expenses. First of all, it’s worth sketching out the project and carrying out the necessary balancing and power calculations. These actions will not only be the key to the successful construction of a wind power plant, but also the key to maintaining the integrity of all purchased equipment.
It is recommended to start by building a micro-windmill with a power of several tens of watts. In the future, the experience gained will help create a more powerful design. When creating a home wind generator, you should not focus on obtaining high-quality electricity (220 V, 50 Hz), since this option will require significant financial investments. It makes more sense to limit ourselves to the use of initially obtained electricity, which can be successfully used without conversion for other purposes, for example, to support heating and hot water supply systems built on electric heaters (TEH) - such devices do not require stable voltage and frequency. This makes it possible to create a simple circuit that operates directly from the generator.
Most likely, no one will argue that heating and hot water supply in the house are inferior in importance to household appliances and lighting devices, for the power of which they often try to install home windmills. The installation of a wind turbine specifically for the purpose of providing a home with heat and hot water means minimal costs and simplicity of design.
Generalized design of a home wind turbine
Structurally, a home project largely replicates an industrial installation. True, household solutions are often based on vertical-axis wind turbines and are equipped with low-voltage DC generators. Composition of household wind turbine modules, subject to high-quality electricity (220 V, 50 Hz):
- wind turbine;
- wind orientation device;
- animator;
- DC generator (12 V, 24 V);
- battery charging module;
- rechargeable batteries (lithium-ion, lithium-polymer, lead-acid);
- DC voltage converter 12 V (24 V) to AC voltage 220 V.
Wind generator PIC 8-6/2.5
How it works? Just. The wind turns the wind turbine. The torque is transmitted through the multiplier to the shaft of the DC generator. The energy received at the output of the generator is accumulated in batteries through the charging module. From the battery terminals, a constant voltage of 12 V (24 V, 48 V) is supplied to the converter, where it is transformed into a voltage suitable for powering household electrical networks.
About generators for home windmills
Most domestic wind turbine designs are typically constructed using low-speed DC motors. This is the simplest generator option that does not require modernization. Optimally - electric motors with permanent magnets, designed for a supply voltage of about 60-100 volts. There is a practice of using car generators, but for this case the introduction of a multiplier is required, since car generators produce the required voltage only at high (1800-2500) speeds. One of the possible options is the reconstruction of an AC asynchronous motor, but it is also quite complex, requiring precise calculations, turning, and installation of neodymium magnets in the rotor area. There is an option for a three-phase asynchronous motor with the connection of capacitors of the same capacity between the phases. Finally, there is the possibility of making a generator from scratch with your own hands. There are a lot of instructions on this matter.
Vertical-axis homemade “windmill”
A fairly efficient and, most importantly, inexpensive wind generator can be built on the basis of a Savonius rotor. Here, as an example, a micro-energy installation is considered, the power of which does not exceed 20 W. However, this device is quite sufficient, for example, to provide electrical energy to some household appliances operating on a voltage of 12 volts.
Set of parts:
- Aluminum sheet 1.5-2 mm thick.
- Plastic pipe: diameter 125 mm, length 3000 mm.
- Aluminum pipe: diameter 32 mm, length 500 mm.
- DC motor (potential generator), 30-60V, 360-450 rpm, for example, electric motor model PIK8-6/2.5.
- Voltage controller.
- Battery.
Manufacturing of the Savonius rotor
Three “pancakes” with a diameter of 285 mm are cut out of an aluminum sheet. Holes are drilled in the center of each for a 32 mm aluminum pipe. It turns out something similar to CDs. Two pieces 150 mm long are cut from a plastic pipe and cut in half lengthwise. The result is four semicircular blades 125x150 mm. All three aluminum “CDs” are put on a 32 mm pipe and fixed at a distance of 320, 170, 20 mm from the top point strictly horizontally, forming two tiers. Blades are inserted between the disks, two per tier, and fixed strictly one against the other, forming a sinusoid. In this case, the blades of the upper tier are shifted relative to the blades of the lower tier at an angle of 90 degrees. The result is a four-bladed Savonius rotor. To fasten elements, you can use rivets, self-tapping screws, corners, or other methods.
Connection to engine and installation on mast
The shaft of DC motors with the above parameters usually has a diameter of no more than 10-12 mm. In order to connect the motor shaft to the wind turbine pipe, a brass bushing having the required internal diameter is pressed into the lower part of the pipe. A hole is drilled through the wall of the pipe and the bushing, and a thread is cut to screw in the locking screw. Next, the wind turbine pipe is put on the generator shaft, after which the connection is rigidly fixed with a locking screw.
The remaining part of the plastic pipe (2800 mm) is the mast of the wind turbine. The generator assembly with the Savonius wheel is mounted at the top of the mast - it is simply inserted into the pipe until it stops. A metal disk cover mounted on the front end of the motor, having a diameter slightly larger than the diameter of the mast, is used as a stop. Holes are drilled on the periphery of the cover for attaching guy wires. Since the diameter of the electric motor housing is smaller than the internal diameter of the pipe, spacers or stops are used to align the generator in the center. The cable from the generator is passed inside the pipe and exited through the window at the bottom. During installation, it is necessary to take into account the protection of the generator from moisture by using sealing gaskets. Again, for the purpose of protection from precipitation, an umbrella cap can be installed above the connection of the wind turbine pipe with the generator shaft.
The entire structure is installed in an open, well-ventilated area. A hole 0.5 meters deep is dug under the mast, the lower part of the pipe is lowered into the hole, the structure is leveled with guy wires, after which the hole is filled with concrete.
Voltage controller (simple charger)
A manufactured wind generator, as a rule, is not capable of producing 12 volts due to the low rotation speed. The maximum rotation speed of the wind turbine at a wind speed of 6-8 m/sec. reaches a value of 200-250 rpm. At the output it is possible to obtain a voltage of about 5-7 volts. To charge the battery, a voltage of 13.5-15 volts is required. The way out is to use a simple pulse voltage converter, assembled, for example, based on the LM2577ADJ voltage regulator. By supplying 5 volts of DC to the input of the converter, the output is 12-15 volts, which is quite enough to charge a car battery.
Ready-made voltage converter based on LM2577
This micro-wind generator can certainly be improved. Increase the turbine power, change the material and height of the mast, add a DC-to-AC converter, etc.
Horizontal-axis wind power plant
Set of parts:
- Plastic pipe with a diameter of 150 mm, aluminum sheet 1.5-2.5 mm thick, wooden block 80x40 1 m long, plumbing: flange - 3, angle - 2, tee - 1.
- DC electric motor (generator) 30-60 V, 300-470 rpm.
- Wheel-pulley for an engine with a diameter of 130-150 mm (aluminum, brass, textolite, etc.).
- Steel pipes with a diameter of 25 mm and 32 mm and a length of 35 mm and 3000 mm, respectively.
- Charging module for batteries.
- Batteries.
- Voltage converter 12 V - 120 V (220 V).
Manufacturing of a horizontal-axis “windmill”
A plastic pipe is needed to make wind turbine blades. A section of such a pipe, 600 mm long, is cut lengthwise into four identical segments. The windmill requires three blades, which are made from the resulting segments by cutting part of the material diagonally along the entire length, but not exactly from corner to corner, but from the lower corner to the upper corner, with a slight indentation from the latter. Processing the lower part of the segments is reduced to the formation of a fastening petal on each of the three segments. To do this, a square measuring approximately 50x50 mm is cut along one edge, and the remaining part serves as a fastening petal.
The wind turbine blades are secured to the wheel-pulley using bolted connections. The pulley is mounted directly on the shaft of a DC electric motor - generator. A simple wooden block with a cross-section of 80x40 mm and a length of 1 m is used as a wind turbine chassis. The generator is installed at one end of the wooden block. At the other end of the bar, a “tail” made of an aluminum sheet is mounted. At the bottom of the block, a 25 mm metal pipe is attached, intended to act as the shaft of the rotating mechanism. A three-meter 32 mm metal pipe is used as a mast. The upper part of the mast is the bushing of the rotating mechanism, into which the wind turbine pipe is inserted. The mast support is made from a sheet of thick plywood. On this support, in the form of a disk with a diameter of 600 mm, a structure is assembled from plumbing parts, thanks to which the mast can be easily raised or lowered, or mounted or dismantled. Guys are used to secure the mast.
All wind turbine electronics are mounted in a separate module, the interface of which provides for connecting batteries and consumer loads. The module includes a battery charge controller and a voltage converter. Such devices can be assembled independently if you have the appropriate experience, or purchased on the market. There are many different solutions on the market that allow you to obtain the desired output voltages and currents.
Combined wind turbines
Combined wind turbines are a serious option for a home energy module. Actually, the combination involves combining a wind generator, solar battery, diesel or gasoline power plant into a single system. You can combine in every possible way, based on your capabilities and needs. Naturally, when there is a three-in-one option, this is the most effective and reliable solution.
Also, the combination of wind turbines involves the creation of wind power plants that include two different modifications at once. For example, when a Savonius rotor and a traditional three-blade machine work in one combination. The first turbine operates at low wind speeds, and the second only at nominal ones. This preserves the efficiency of the installation, eliminates unjustified energy losses, and in the case of asynchronous generators, compensates for reactive currents.
Combined systems are technically complex and expensive options for home practice.
Calculation of the power of a wind power plant
To calculate the power of a horizontal-axial wind generator, you can use the standard formula:
- N = p S V3 / 2
- N— installation power, W
- p- air density (1.2 kg/m3)
- S— blown area, m2
- V— wind flow speed, m/sec
For example, the power of an installation with a maximum blade span of 1 meter at a wind speed of 7 m/sec will be:
- N= 1.2 1 343 / 2 = 205.8 W
An approximate calculation of the power of a wind turbine created on the basis of a Savonius rotor can be calculated using the formula:
- N = p R H V3
- N— installation power, W
- R— impeller radius, m
- V— wind speed, m/sec
For example, for the design of a wind power plant with a Savonius rotor mentioned in the text, the power value at a wind speed of 7 m/sec. will be:
- N= 1.2 · 0.142 · 0.3 · 343 = 17.5 W
– specially designed devices in which wind energy is converted into electrical energy. They are becoming more popular every day. Using natural and, most importantly, renewable energy sources, convenient and simple wind power plants, the so-called wind turbines, are an excellent alternative to traditional power plants, especially in private homes.
Use of wind energy
Windmills, or rather the principle of their operation, were undeservedly forgotten in the twenties of the last century. However, the power of the wind was not used even then to generate electrical energy. It powered millstones, was used as propulsion for sailing ships, and later started pumps for pumping water into reservoirs, that is, it was converted into mechanical energy.
Wind energy began to develop rapidly in the late sixties of the last century. At this time, there was a catastrophic shortage of traditional energy resources; in addition, their prices rose sharply, and environmental problems associated with their use became more and more acute.
Promoted the use of alternative sources of electricity, including wind power, and technological progress. New high-strength and fairly lightweight materials have appeared that make it possible to build towers up to 120 m high and huge blades.
Winds blowing in many regions of the planet are able to rotate power plant turbines at sufficient speed to provide energy to private homes, small farms or schools in rural areas.
But in any barrel of honey there is at least one fly in the ointment. The wind cannot be controlled; it does not always blow, especially in the same direction and at the same speed. Technological progress does not stand still. If today wind power plants for a private home, generating hundreds of kilowatts of electricity, are no longer a rarity, then tomorrow, perhaps, stations with a capacity of tens of megawatts will become commonplace. In any case, there are already wind power plants with a capacity of 5 MW or more.
Advantages and disadvantages of wind power plants
Wind power plants have, in addition to the use of free wind energy and independence from external sources of electricity, several other significant advantages. There is no environmental problem with the storage and disposal of waste, and the method of generating energy itself is one of the most environmentally friendly. Not to mention how aesthetically pleasing the windmill looks against the sky, its advantage can be considered that the installation can be either stationary or mobile.
In addition, today it is already possible to select a wind farm of a suitable model and power, or use an installation that combines the use of several energy sources, traditional and alternative. This could be a diesel or solar-wind power plant. 
Wind farms also have disadvantages. Firstly, they are so noisy that large installations have to be turned off at night. Secondly, they often interfere with air traffic or radio waves. Thirdly, they need to be placed over truly huge areas. And there is another significant drawback of blade structures - they need to be turned off during mass seasonal migrations of birds.
Types of wind power plants
Based on functionality, wind power plants can be divided into stationary and mobile, or mobile. Powerful stationary installations require a whole range of preparatory work, but they are capable of accumulating enough electricity in batteries for use in calm weather.
Mobile power plants are simpler in design, unpretentious, easy to install and simple to operate. They are typically used to power electrical appliances or when traveling. 
By design, a distinction is made between impeller and rotor wind power plants.
Depending on the location where wind farms are installed, there are:
- ground. They are installed at higher elevations and are the most common today;
- coastal. They are built in the coastal zone of seas and oceans, where winds constantly blow due to uneven heating of land and water;
- offshore. They are built in the sea at a distance of 10-15 km from the coast, where sea winds constantly blow;
- floating. They are also located at approximately the same distance from the shore as offshore ones, but on a floating platform.
According to the areas of application, wind power plants can be industrial or domestic.
Vane wind farms
Vane wind farms, which are leaders in the wind energy market, have already become commonplace. On a high dream, a blade mechanism with a horizontal axis of rotation, predominantly three-bladed, is installed, and its power depends on the span of the blades. Such a unit reaches its maximum rotation speed when the blades are perpendicular to the wind flow, therefore its design includes a device for automatic rotation of the rotation axis in the form of a stabilizer wing at small stations and an electronic yaw control system at more powerful stations. 
Impeller wind farms differ from each other mainly in the number of blades. They can be multi-bladed, two-bladed, or even with one blade and a counterweight.
Rotary wind farms
Rotary, or rotary, wind power plants have a vertical axis of rotation and do not depend on the direction of the wind. This is an important advantage if surface yaw air currents are used. The disadvantage of wind farms of this design is the use of multi-pole generators, which operate at low speeds and are not widely used.
These units are low-speed and, as a result, do not create much noise. In addition, their advantage is the simplicity of electrical circuits, which are not disrupted by occasional sharp gusts of wind.
Experts believe that rotary wind farms are the most promising for large-scale wind power. True, in order to spin up such an installation, external energy must be applied to it. Only when it reaches certain aerodynamic parameters does it switch to generator mode from engine mode.
Combined wind-diesel system
The disadvantage of wind turbines - uneven supply of electricity - in large networks is compensated by a large number of installations.
It is also possible to compensate for this disadvantage by using combined systems, in which there are special devices that distribute the loads between a wind power plant (WPP) and a diesel engine. Therefore, autonomous networks of small power from 0.5 to 4 MW paired with a diesel engine can function reliably and evenly.
Modern equipment, which saves about 65% of liquid fuel per year, allows you to connect or disconnect a diesel engine in just a few seconds if necessary.
Domestic and industrial wind farms
Household wind power plants have a power from 250 W to 15 kW and can be operated in conjunction with solar panels, with or without a battery.
Electricity generated by household wind power plants is quite expensive, but it often happens that there are simply no other sources.
Domestic wind power plants in Russia are produced with a DC generator that charges batteries with a capacity of up to 800 A/h. All household appliances in the house can operate from such batteries: TV, electric kettle, etc.
The process of charging batteries after disconnecting the load can be quite long, depending on the strength of the wind and the power of the generator.
There are also foreign domestic wind farms on the Russian market; they are quite expensive, but, as a rule, they produce less than half the rated power.
Industrial wind farms have significantly greater power and are usually combined into single networks.
Private wind power plants generally have a power of 3 to 5, less often 10 kW. If the average annual wind speed in the region reaches 3-4 m/s, then such a wind farm can provide electricity to an average country house, service station or small cafe.
Main characteristics of the wind farm
Rated power is the main indicator that characterizes all power plants, wind power plants are no exception. It is determined by the power that the generator produces at an average wind speed of 12 m/s, and depends on the type of station.
The next important indicator is the rated voltage of the wind farm, which is generated by the generator. It can be either 220 V, 12 V, or 24 V.
The electrical power of the generator depends on the power of the turbine. Since the turbine power is higher, the larger its diameter and, therefore, the stronger the mast, this indicator is important when choosing and calculating the mast design.
The wind turbine has several more characteristics. Its performance is important - this is the amount of electricity that the device generates per year. When choosing a wind turbine, it is necessary to know the maximum wind speed that the turbine can withstand and its minimum (starting) speed at which it begins to rotate. Both the turbine rotation speed and the number of blades play a role in the selection.
Operating principle and design of wind farms
At a wind farm, the air flow rotates a wheel with blades, from which torque is transmitted to other mechanisms. The larger the wheel, the more airflow it captures and, therefore, the faster it rotates.
In physics terms, the linear wind speed is converted into the angular speed of rotation of the generator axis, which, in turn, converts the rotational motion into electrical energy, transmitting it through the controller to the batteries. At the output of the device, the electricity is already suitable for domestic use.
That is, a small wind power plant consists of a turbine, blades, a tail (rotating mechanism), a mast with guy cables, batteries, a charge controller and an inverter that converts 12 V to 220 V. 
In addition to these devices, an industrial wind farm also contains systems for monitoring wind direction and speed, the condition of the wind generator and protection against lightning discharges. In addition, the mast cannot cope with larger loads, and it is replaced with a tower in which all additional equipment is located.
Wind farm design
The main indicator that allows you to make a decision on the use of a wind power plant is the average annual wind speed, which must be at least 5 m/s. True, today there are already easily accelerated wind farms designed for power supply to private households, which begin operation with a minimum air flow speed of 3.5 m/s.
To determine this indicator, special wind maps are used.
Wind speed measurements were taken in various climatic zones of Russia to determine how efficient wind power plants there are. Wind turbines and stations are already operating in the Kaliningrad region, on the Commander Islands, Murmansk, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), and in Bashkortostan.
When deciding to install a wind power plant or a private wind farm, you should first contact specialists to conduct research on the direction and strength of the wind using anemometers and build maps of the availability of its energy. Based on these data, the design of a wind turbine or a station consisting of several installations, its technical and geometric parameters are calculated and developed.
It is impossible to build an industrial wind farm of sufficiently large capacity without investors, and competently performed calculations and a drawn up project will make it possible to determine the payback period of the project and attract additional finance.
Private wind farms
According to significantly underestimated statistics, which do not take into account isolated remote buildings and structures, about 30% of private households in rural areas, where laying electrical networks is impossible for economic reasons, do not have electricity supply. Not everywhere there are even liquid fuel generators. And this is in the 21st century!
Research has shown that wind power stations of various capacities can be installed in many regions of the north and the Far North, Sakhalin and Kamchatka, the Lower Volga region, Siberia, Karelia and the North Caucasus.
The choice of installation is influenced by the customer's needs. If you need to ensure the operation of agricultural machinery, a low-power wind generator will cope with this task. If you need to electrify an entire building, install street lighting, provide heating for the house, you need to carry out a wind power plant project.
In addition to the average monthly wind speed and its direction, it is necessary to calculate the average monthly consumption and peak load of electricity. Such calculations can be easily done independently if desired.
There is another indicator that affects the cost of equipment and installation of wind turbines. This is the height of the mast. The higher the structure, the higher the wind speed and the more expensive it is. The optimal mast height, according to experts, is 10 times greater than the tallest tree or building within a radius of 100 m.
DIY wind power plant
To operate an electric pump, TV, lighting or other low-power electrical appliances in a summer cottage, you can make a wind power installation yourself if you have some knowledge of electrical engineering.
Today, capital investment in the construction of large wind power plants is growing in Europe. Mass construction reduces the cost of one kilowatt and brings it closer to the price of electricity obtained from traditional sources.
The design of wind power plants is constantly being improved, aerodynamic and electrical performance is improved, and losses are reduced.
Wind power plants for homes, according to economists, are becoming the most cost-effective energy projects. In the future, they promise independence from negative trends in this market.
Home wind power plants are not common in our country. But there is increasing interest in renewable energy sources as the best way to save money. Therefore, it is worth finding out how the device works, what its power is, costs, purchase prices and installation maintenance. Before purchasing, it is worth calculating whether investing in a home wind farm will be profitable.
What is a wind generator for a private home, what are the types, power, operating features of the device - this will be discussed below.
Household wind turbines - types
Generating electricity from inexhaustible resources involves the use of photovoltaic panels, wind or water turbines. Efficient devices are household wind power generators. A distinctive feature of modern wind generators is silent, efficient operation with wind blowing at a speed of 2 m/s, which increases the possibilities of their use.
Stations installed for individual home needs have a power from 100 W to 5 kW. Power is adjusted to individual needs. There are windmills that only support water heating, and large models for generating and selling electricity.
Household windmills are divided into 2 types:
- with a horizontal axis of rotation;
- vertical.
Wind turbines with a horizontal axis of rotation
The most common systems. The disadvantage of the device is the need to position the propeller in relation to the direction of the wind. 
Wind generator with a horizontal axis of rotation, photo
Vertical wind generators
The main advantages of vertical devices:
Wind generator with a vertical axis of rotation, photo
What elements does a home wind power plant consist of?
Domestic wind turbines are relatively simple designs. Electricity is produced in a generator driven by rotor blades. In domestic conditions, wind generators with a horizontal axis of rotation of the rotor are usually used.
The most important elements of a wind turbine:
Small wind generators with a horizontal axis of rotation of the rotor do not create noise or harmful electromagnetic waves. They can be safely placed directly on the house or roof. 
Selecting wind generator power
It can be assumed that home wind generators should have the highest power. It is important to remember that the higher the potential power, the higher the price of the wind generator and the entire project. Investment in a professional large wind farm with a capacity of 20 kW is associated with large costs. Therefore, most investors decide to install weaker performance models.
The following wind power plants for home are popular:
| Power, W | Characteristics | Scope of application of the wind generator |
| 500 |
|
|
| 1000 | Not the most expensive offer |
|
| 2000 | Suitable for cottages, well-insulated, small single-family private houses |
|
| 3000 | Solution for energy efficient homes. |
|
| 5000 | Enough for the needs of one house in which a family of several people lives. Excess electricity can be dumped into the public grid. |
|
| 10000 | Rarely used in households due to high installation costs. Excess energy can be transferred to the public grid. | Meets all the needs of single family home users |
Optimal location of wind turbines
The power of a wind generator depends not only on the parameters of the turbine.
- Geographical position. The most advantageous location for wind turbines is in areas with strong winds. The optimal places are where there are regular, strong gusts of wind, ensuring high efficiency of the windmill. The most favorable conditions prevail in regions where there are many windy days.
- Prevailing wind direction. If, for example, most winds blow from the west, you need to pay special attention to the westerly direction. In this case, small power plants built on the west side of the building will work much more efficiently than turbines located on the east side.
- Shape of the nearby territory affects the efficiency of turbines. The fewer obstacles, the better the working conditions. Any “obstacles” create wind turbulence, which harms the operation of the windmill. It is important to correctly position home wind generators on the site.
Wind turbines need to be located above the roof surface. They are usually installed:
- directly on the roof;
- on a 12 meter long mast.
The only exception is small wind farms located on a hill some distance from the house. The space should not be blocked by trees or other buildings.
When determining the optimal location of a wind turbine in the backyard, you need to take into account buildings, natural obstacles located outside the site.
For example, if a tall forest grows 200 meters from the western border of the site, an apartment building is being built, investments in household wind turbines are not economically justified.
Costs, prices for wind turbines for dachas
After studying the technical aspects of building wind turbines, you need to estimate the cost of the project. How much do wind turbines cost? Prices are approximately as follows:
- 400 W wind generator – from 33,000 rubles;
- for 600 W – from 46,000 rubles;
- for 1000 W – from 85,000 rubles.
If the wind power generator does not come complete, you will need to purchase:
- battery;
- generator;
- tubular mast for roof mounting;
- converters (3 pcs.);
- installation materials.
Is it profitable?
To answer this question, you need to calculate the annual electricity production. Over the course of a year, home wind farms are capable of producing 10-20% of the turbine's rated power multiplied by the number of hours per year.
The calculation using this formula for a 5 kW windmill looks like this:
- The minimum assumption is 5 kW × 24 hours × 365 days × 10% = 4380 kW.
- The maximum assumption is 5 kW × 24 hours × 365 days × 20% = 8760 kW.
Thus, wind turbines with a capacity of 5 kW can produce 4380-8760 kW of electricity during the year. Let's assume the average price of one kW is 4 rubles. Then over the course of a year you will be able to save approximately:
- 4380 × 4 = 17520 rubles;
- 8760 × 4 = 35040 rubles.
By calculating the annual savings, you can guess how many years it will take for the investment to pay off. The calculations given are only theoretical. In practice, it turns out that the return on investment can be very questionable.
The efficiency of a wind generator depends on:
- the region in which the device will be located;
- electricity prices;
- turbine power;
- home power plant location.
Investments need to be carefully planned, costs need to be calculated correctly.
Conclusion
Enthusiasts emphasize that home wind power plants are profitable, with a service life of up to several decades. However, there is some risk to consider (including the occurrence of long periods of calm). The installation should not be considered as the only source of electricity, but rather as a support system. The optimal solution is to invest in turbines with lower power (for example, 3 kW). They will entail lower investment costs and reduce dependence on the local electricity supplier.
The estimated price for the construction of a 3 kW mini-wind power plant is almost 2 times less than in the case of 5 kW turbines.
We make a wind power station with our own hands in our private home. Let's get acquainted with existing industrial analogues on the market and with the works of folk craftsmen.
Throughout its development, humanity has never ceased to look for cheap renewable energy sources that could solve many energy supply problems. One of these sources is wind energy, for converting it into electrical energy, wind power plants (WPPs), or, as they are more often called, wind power plants, have been developed.
Any person, especially those who have a private or country house, would like to have their own wind generator, providing housing with inexpensive electrical energy. An obstacle to this is the high cost of industrial designs of wind turbines and, accordingly, the payback period is too long for an individual home owner, making its purchase unprofitable. One way out could be to make a wind power plant with your own hands, which allows you not only to reduce the overall costs of its purchase, but also to distribute these costs over a certain period of time, since the work is carried out over quite a long time.
In order to make a wind power plant, it is necessary to determine whether weather conditions allow the use of wind energy as a constant source of energy. After all, if wind is rare in your area, it is hardly worth starting the construction of a homemade wind power plant. If everything is fine with the wind, it is advisable to find out the general climatic characteristics and, in particular, wind speed, with its distribution over time. Knowing the wind speed will allow you to choose the right wind power plant design and make it yourself.
Kinds
Do-it-yourself wind power plants are classified according to the location of the axis of rotation and are:
- with horizontal arrangement;
- with vertical arrangement.
Installations with a horizontal axis are called propeller-type installations and are most widely used due to their high efficiency. The disadvantage of these installations is their more complex design, which complicates home-made manufacturing options, the need to use a mechanism for following the direction of the wind, and the greater dependence of the operation on wind speed - as a rule, these installations do not work at low speeds.
Installations with a vertical arrangement of the working shaft are simpler, unpretentious and little dependent on wind speed and direction - orthogonal with a Darrieus rotor and rotary with a Savonius rotor. Their disadvantage is their very low efficiency, about 15%.
The disadvantage of both types of homemade wind power plants is the low quality of the generated electricity, which requires expensive options to compensate for this quality - stabilizing devices, batteries, electrical converters. In its pure form, electricity is only suitable for use in active household loads - incandescent lamps and simple heating devices. Electricity of this quality is not suitable for powering household appliances.
Structural elements
Structurally, regardless of the location of the axis, a home-made full-fledged wind power plant should consist of the following elements:
- wind turbine;
- a device for orienting a wind turbine in the direction of the wind;
- gearbox or multiplier for transmitting rotation from the wind engine to the generator;
- DC generator;
- Charger;
- rechargeable battery for storing electricity;
- inverter for converting direct current into alternating current.
Features of choosing a current source
One of the complex elements of a wind power plant is the generator. The most suitable for DIY production is a DC electric motor with an operating voltage of 60-100 volts. This option does not require modification and is capable of working with equipment for charging a car battery.
The use of an automotive voltage source is complicated by the fact that its nominal rotation speed is about 1800-2500 rpm, and no wind engine design can provide such a rotation speed with a direct connection. In this case, the installation must include a gearbox or multiplier of a suitable design to increase the rotation speed to the required size. Most likely, this parameter will have to be selected experimentally.
A rebuilt induction motor using neodymium magnets may be a possible option, but this method requires complex calculations and turning work, which is often not acceptable for DIY work. There is an option with phase-to-phase connection of capacitors to the motor windings, the capacitance of which is calculated depending on its power.
Manufacturing
Considering that the efficiency of a power plant with a horizontal axis has better efficiency indicators, and the uninterrupted supply of electricity is supposed to be ensured by storing energy in a battery, it is preferable to manufacture this type of wind turbine with your own hands, which we will consider in this article.
In order to make such a power plant with your own hands, you will need the following tool:
- electric arc welding machine;
- set of wrenches;
- set of metal drills;
- electric drill;
- a hacksaw for metal or an angle grinder with a cutting disc;
- bolts with a diameter of 6 mm with nuts for attaching the blades to the pulley and the aluminum sheet to the square pipe.
To make a wind power plant with your own hands, you will need the following materials:
- plastic pipe 150 mm long 600 mm;
- aluminum sheet measuring 300x300 mm and thickness 2.0 - 2.5 mm;
- metal square pipe 80x40 mm and 1.0 m long;
- pipe with a diameter of 25 mm and a length of 300 mm;
- pipe with a diameter of 32 mm and a length of 4000-6000 mm;
- a copper wire long enough to connect an electric motor located on a 6 m long mast and the load that will be powered by this current source;
- DC motor 500 rpm;
- pulley for an engine with a diameter of 120-150 mm;
- 12 volt battery;
- car battery charging relay;
- inverter 12/220 volts.
The DIY manufacturing process is carried out in the following order:
Further, during the operation of the installation, it may be necessary to change the size and configuration of the blades, the gear ratio between the wind engine and the generator - each wind generator made by yourself is individual due to the use of different components and wind generation conditions. Initially, it is recommended to manufacture a wind power plant of small power, at which the received information can be processed without investing a large amount of money.
