When someone says you can build a windmill, you probably think back to pictures you’ve seen of European windmills which were originally built to grind grain and pump water.  Today’s modern windmills have a different purpose, they are used to generate electricity.  Both types use the same methodology to accomplish their goal.  They use the power of the wind to rotate its blades and the wind power is then converted into other forms of energy.

Today’s windmill has become very popular as it uses a renewable, non-polluting form of energy to produce electricity.  In the current climate of high energy prices and global warming, it makes sense that we are looking for alternative energy solutions.  There are now thousands of wind farms all across the world.

I’m not suggesting that you start a wind farm. But you can employ the same technology, on a much smaller scale, to produce electricity for your home.

You must meet two important requirements before you build a windmill:

• The land upon which you will house the windmill should have an area of one acre or more.  It wouldn’t be wise build a windmill on anything smaller since the blades probably would not capture enough wind power to work.

• Your site should have an average minimum wind speed of at least 10 miles per hour.  It goes without saying that your windmill just won’t work properly where buildings or structures of any kind block the wind.  You should also be sure that the minimum wind speed for your site is consistent.

Here are two websites you can checkout to determine average wind speed in your area:

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html

http://www.windpoweringamerica.gov/wind_maps.asp 

These are the main components you will need to build a windmill:

• Blades: Homemade blades are typically made of plastic and are responsible for capturing the power of the wind.  You can make these from PVC pipe.

• Generator: Takes the power generated by the turning blades and converts it into electricity.

• Batteries: Used to collect and store the power generated by your windmill.

• Tower: Should be a long (10+ feet) steel pipe that is fastened with guy-wires to stakes planted in the ground. The tower supports the system and should be high enough to take advantage of the wind and to keep the blades from hitting you in the head.

You can get all the parts you need to build a windmill for under $200.  Obviously you’re going to need instructions and a parts list.  If you check out our product reviews you will find which of the DIY manuals provided the best guidance for building your own windmill.

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