WIND GENERATOR CONTROLLER

Wind turbines are popping up all over the place these days as people turn to natural power sources such as wind power and solar power.

Understanding wind generators and its various lesser known parts is essential when looking to utilize the wind for your energy needs.

Wind turbine towers, blades, generators and wind generator controller are all parts of the wind generator you will want to understand before placing one on your property.

The speedometer of the windmill is the anemometer; this gauges the speed of blade rotation. High end wind turbines may include a feedback loop to the wind generator controller that will regulate the speed to avoid damage to the wind turbine. 

These more expensive turbines may include a brake that will stop the windmill should an emergency occur such as storm or high winds that may cause the blades to turn too fast.

The wind turbine will have two or three blades that are shaped much like the propeller of an airplane.

The blades catch the wind and turn which causes the mechanisms to turn the wind power into electricity. 

The wind generator controller is the brain of the wind turbine. One function that the controller is responsible for is starting and stopping the windmill so that the turbine shuts down with high winds and gets going with appropriate winds. Additionally, the controller can work directly with the generator and brake so that the entire system functions its best in all conditions.

The wind turbine’s generator is what converts the turning of the blade into electricity. With the aid of a wind generator inverter the electricity can be stored a battery bank and then converted to AC power to be used in the home. Small model wind turbines create DC power that can be stored directly into batteries to use later; however, the inverter will convert the power so that the home can use the electricity. Larger wind turbines create AC power already; however, to store the excess electricity the inverter must convert it into DC for storage and then back to AC for use.

Other important parts of the wind generator and important things to know about the turbine are the tower, the rotor, the pitch and the wind vane. The wind generator tower is what the working structure is attached to that gives it the height needed to catch the wind at its steadiest flow. The tower can be made of wood, aluminum or steel; however, it is better to use extra supports if you choose an aluminum tower. Extra supports will help prevent the aluminum tower from bending and being destroyed in high wind situations.

Attached to the generator shaft is the rotor. The rotor holds the hub and the blades in place and allows them to turn the shaft. The pitch is the angle of the blades to catch the wind. It is important to have the right pitch so that the generator does not turn too fast, yet turns easy enough in moderate wind flow. The wind vane is the appendage that helps the windmill faces the wind. The wind vane works like a tail to help the windmill get the maximum wind exposure.

With this basic knowledge of the windmill and how it functions you can begin exploring just how much money you can save by having a wind generator installed on your property.