How to Make Electricity Through a Running Turbine

Protect your turbine from potential environmental damages, such as water, wind, rain or falling debris. If you are making your own wind turbine system, you may need to enclose the turbine's generator hub in plastic container with insulation positioned on the inside of the container to absorb some of the vibrations from the turbine.

Solder or screw in wiring to the output terminals of your turbine. The size of the wiring or cable attached to the output terminals will vary depending on the voltage of the turbine's motor and the expected peak amperage that your turbine can produce. Use a wire sizing chart, such as the one available at Power Stream, to size your cable appropriately. Run the cable or wire to a dry, well-ventilated location that is protected from the outside environment.

Solder a blocking diode to the other end of the output cable from the turbine if you are using a battery bank system for your renewable energy project. The blocking diode prevents the electricity from the batteries returning to the turbine and turning the blades during times when the generator is idle.

Connect the same gauge of wiring to the output of the blocking diode, and connect the wiring to the input of a charge controller, which measures and regulates the flow of electricity to a battery bank or to the electric utility grid. The charge controller is an essential component for maintaining the proper charging and discharging of your batteries. The primary and secondary outputs of the charge controller should be wired to the battery bank and a dump load respectively. The dump load serves as a heat sink to dissipate extra electricity diverted away from the batteries.

Connect the charge controller to the battery bank using the same size cables as the input cable to the charge controller. Wire battery terminal eyelets to the battery. Most battery bank systems for renewable energy projects are wired into a series circuit configuration, where opposing terminals for adjacent batteries are linked. Home Power Magazine recommends using No. 8 AWG (American Wire Gauge) cable connected to eyelets to connect batteries together.

Size your power inverter based on your battery bank's voltage or the voltage of your turbine if you are not using a battery bank. The inverter should also be sized to exceed your peak wattage load from your appliances by at least 10 percent. Inverters can use a variety of different input cables depending on the manufacturer and design. Inverters can either be connected to an electric panel or directly to home appliances. Inverters take in the direct current electrical signal from the turbine or battery bank and convert it into alternating current, which is used by standard home appliances.