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With rising fuel and energy costs, many people are looking for their own alternative energy sources. Wind power generators have been use on farms for many years in varying degrees, before electric power became so readily available.

Building your own wind generator into your home is easy. The rule of thumb is to find a place that is about 200-300ft from another obstacle or at least 20 ft higher. In North America the average wind speed is around 9m/s, which can give you a lot of power.

Wind power is a great source of renewable energy. It is much cheaper than solar power per Watt, as a wind turbine can generate 1000W while a single solar panel generates around 100 in daylight.

To turn the rotational energy of the turbine into electricity, the actual power generator is the DC motor. You will have to pick one up or order one – they can cost $50 on up depending on size.

You will also need to buy a tower, or improvise one. Recycling towers is a good idea – people that have old TV towers they don’t use any more may actually pay you to take them away. You will also need some great engineering blueprints to get you started on your project.

Many people have bought guides and made their own 500 watt turbines from scratch using PVC piping, a DC motor, TV tower recycled and a grid connector unit. This can be done in less than a week and for less than $300. On the other hand the same turbine might cost $1500 or $2500 commercially.

The basics of wind power generators have been around ever since the old windmills you still see at farms across the plains and prairies. Now you can find plans on the Internet for building your own system, or buy components or kits that contain what you need to know.

If you have a bit of land or a rooftop to place it on, some PVC, a DC motor and something to make a tower out of, you can put together a wind power generator with basic tools quite easily.

If you are looking to reduce your power bill or get off the grid completely, residential wind power is currently the simplest and cheapest way to do it.

A problem with wind power right now is that it is fairly expensive (though not as expensive as solar). If you were to go out and buy a wind turbine, you’ll find that they might cost you $2000 to $6000 dollars.

If you have the right plans you can build your own, in fact. And it’s not complicated, and it’s not expensive. you can do it for around $150-$300 depending on the amount of power you want to produce.

What will you need?

You’ll need a work area, good blueprints, basic tools and four to seven days.[youtube:c62xOPaS0YA;[link:Windmill power generators];http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c62xOPaS0YA&feature=related]

The components you’ll build:

Four main parts in a generator are the blades and hub, the body with a DC motor, the tail and the tower. The blades will be the toughest part to build of the whole machine. They are still fairly easy with a good guide to move you along.

The motor converts the rotation of the blades to electricity. It is the most expensive part. Your manual will tell you how to install it best and what size you’ll need and all the other technical details about this part.

For the body it is best to use double walled stainless steel like that from a chimney pipe or wood stove. It is very cheap and easy to get and will last a long time.

The tail is very simple but usually essential to make sure your turbine is pointed in the right direction. Make it sturdy so it can withstand storm winds.

You can buy the tower or build your own out of piping. The best thing to use is old TV towers, which many people don’t use anymore and may actually pay you to take them down.

These are some of the basics of building a wind turbine (and believe me, it doesn’t get much more complicated). All you need now is a manual to get you started saving money and the environment.