Does a Wind Turbine Have Kinetic or Chemical Potential Energy?

How Turbines Work

• Wind turbines use the force of the wind to turn a series of blades connected to a turbine, which transforms the mechanical power of the wind interacting with the blades into electricity. Many homemade wind turbine designs use a DC generator, typically in the form of a permanent magnet motor. However, manufactured wind turbines utilize an induction generator which produces AC electricity, which is the form that is used by home appliances.

Battery Backup System

• For homeowners, one option for installing a wind turbine system incorporates a battery bank to store electricity generated by the wind. The batteries are typically deep cycle gel-cell batteries that are connected in a series circuit configuration to equal the voltage and amperage needed for your system. For most applications, the voltage should equal 120 volts while the amperage load may vary and should be determined by the total peak amperage of the appliances which you intend to connect to your wind turbine system.

Sizing

• Nearly every component of your wind turbine system should be sized based on your location and intended usage. The generator or alternator of your system should be sized based on the average wind speed of your location and the torque produced by the number of blades on the turbine and the blade length. American Wire Gauge cables must be sized based on the amount of electricity and distance to the next component of the system. If you are using a battery backup, the power inverter should also be sized to match the voltage of your battery bank and to exceed the peak amperage by at least 10 percent.

Connecting Battery Banks

• A battery bank should be connected to a power inverter, which converts the DC electricity stored in the batteries to AC electricity, which can be used by home appliances. The power inverter can either be connected directly to your home appliances via an extension cord and power strip or you can tie it into a branch circuit on your electrical panel. Tying the power inverter into your electrical panel will allow more appliances to harness the wind turbine's electricity.