- When preparing to make an electrical conductor for a wind mill, you must first consider the wind mill itself. Generally speaking, one well-designed wind mill will provide sufficient energy and energy storage for the needs of a one-family home.
Wind mills that work best utilize aluminum blades that are at least 12 feet in diameter and a generator fully enclosed and set on cylindrical support. The tower must be high enough to gain maximum wind exposure. As a support, the four legs of the tower should be anchored with a minimum of 1 cubic yard of concrete, reinforced with re-bar and extending well below the frost line. - Beginning with the wind mill, all of the power first flows through a control panel. The control panel regulates how much energy is transferred to storage and prevents the batteries from overcharging. Energy is stored in a series of batteries. This is the true power house, since this will be what supplies energy when there's no wind. The batteries as the power source should be attached to a circuit breaker before proceeding into the house. The final step of the process is to regulate and install both DC and AC power outlets. In order to convert the DC power to AC, use an inverter that can handle at least 2,000 watts.
- The control panel is a simple affair. Generally, it's housed in a regular electrical switch box and consists of a simple regulator to prevent or allow power to the batteries based on battery capacity. A properly working control panel helps regulate batteries and ensures their safety and longevity.
- You'll need a lot of batteries. It's best to have enough battery power to last for two or three windless days. A bank of 60 to 100 batteries should be enough. These should be kept in a location, or bank, separate from your house. It's fine for your battery bank to be connected to your house's structure, but ideally it will be distanced by a few yards for safety reasons. The battery bank should also be close enough to the wind mill to prevent loss of power, and it should be large enough to work in and provide room to expand power, if necessary. Place the batteries in rows. They may be touching if placed side by side, but don't place batteries on top of one another.
Batteries should last for about 10 years each, so keep a clear notation of how old each battery is, especially if you're replacing them on a routine basis. - All power should flow into the circuit breaker. Since the circuit breaker is no different than a circuit breaker for traditional "on-the-grid" power sources, little discussion is necessary. The best location for the circuit breaker is with the power house and the rest of the equipment. Be sure to install enough breakers for rooms or divisions of your house. The kitchen should have its own. Any major appliances should also have a separate breaker (e.g., electric oven and water heater).
- From the circuit breaker, you can run plastic insulated wire directly into the house. The best arrangement is to utilize both AC and DC power. If you prefer to use only AC power, you'll need to purchase an AC converter, which is a fairly expensive investment. Most converters can adjust automatically to changing loads. The preferred option is to use a mixed system that requires a smaller and less expensive inverter.
- You may wish to provide an alternate energy source to your energy system. Your alternate may be direct power from the grid. A better option may be to supply a generator in your power house or to install several photovoltaic cells that supplement your wind energy.
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