Homemade windmills are a good option to power the home electrical appliances and in turn, reduce the electricity bill. This post will tell you how these can be installed and how they work.
Ningthoujam Sandhyarani
In recent times, homemade windmills are gaining popularity. Many people have installed them in their backyard. These are devices that convert the kinetic energy of the wind to usable forms of energy.
The energy produced can be used for generating electricity to power pumps, fans, fridges, television, computers, etc. By using them, you can minimize your electricity bill by as much as 70 percent.
Working
Like the wind turbines, the windmills too consist of blades. The rotors or blades rotate when wind strikes them. When the wind velocity goes up, the rotation speed of the blade increases, which in turn triggers the shaft to produce energy.
The energy, thus produced, can be used either to supply power directly or store in blank batteries. The amount of energy generated is proportional to the speed of the turbine rotation and the velocity of the wind. Their overall efficiency is based on various factors, such as height of the tower that houses the blades, and the length and pitch of the blades.
Hence, they are best suited in windy areas. The blades should be positioned on such a height that the maximum speed of wind can be utilized. To be precise, the height of the tower should be decided, according to the wind speed.
Installing
Home windmills are very expensive. Their price may range from a few thousand dollars to more than USD 15,000. Another better option would be to build a small wind-powered generator on your own, which is cost-effective (about USD 250) and an interesting challenge.
The monthly saving on the electricity bill will easily recover the installation cost in a few months. Building and installing is not a difficult task. You can follow the step-by-step instruction guide, which usually comes with pictures and/or videos.
Advantages
It uses renewable energy, meaning the energy source is replenished naturally and will always be available.
Unlike fossil fuels, renewable energy forms do not produce greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide/monoxide.
They generate clean energy and do not cause any harmful effect on the environment.
Thus, they indirectly play a major role in combating environmental pollution, climate change, and global warming. There is no doubt that fossil fuels will run out in the near future.
Consequently, the cost of all energy types such as electricity and gasoline will increase by about 40% in the next few decades. The biggest challenge is to search for renewable energy. The only answer would be using alternative energy sources such as solar energy and wind energy.