Before you jump into building your own wind turbine or buying a commercial one, http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind.shtml

http://www.otherpower.com/otherpower_wind.shtml

Before you jump into building your own wind turbine or buying a commercial one, do your homework! There are certain things that work and certain things that don't, and you can save hours and dollars by learning from other people's successes and mistakes. Some recommended reading:

* Our book Homebrew Wind Power covers everything you need to know about the physics behind turning moving air into electricity, and includes detailed, step-by-step illustrated instructions on how to build a 10-foot diameter, 1 kilowatt turbine. And much more, including controls, wiring, towers, and troubleshooting.
* Our article The Bottom Line About Wind Turbines is an essential introduction to wind power. It covers the basics of how wind comes to us, how much power different size wind turbines can make in different wind regimes, and has a very handy section on detecting wind turbine scams.
* Otherpower.com's Wind Turbine User's Manual should also be considered essential reading, especially BEFORE you take the plunge and buy or build a wind turbine. It will fill you in on exactly what you are getting yourself into with wind power, including towers, installation, controllers, and troubleshooting. It can be downloaded for free from that page, and is available in printed form through our Online Store.

Axial Flux Wind Turbine Plans by Hugh Piggott.The newest version (August 2008) of Hugh's classic wind turbine plans set.
Order it from our Online Store HERE.
* Wind power information from homebrew wind power guru Hugh Piggott's website. We've learned a BUNCH from Hugh.
* Hugh Piggott's book Windpower Workshop is an indispensable reference for anyone that's thinking about building a wind turbine. His Axial Flux Alternator Windmill Plans are very detailed and highly recommended.
* Homebrew wind power infomation from Ed Lenz's Windstuffnow.com, a highly informative website.
* Read the Renewable energy FAQs on the Otherpower discussion board, and Search the Otherpower.com discussion board. It's highly active and populated by windpower experts and hobbyists worldwide. If you still can't find and answer, by all means please join the board and ask your question there!
* DanF's series on Small Wind Turbine Basics, published in the Energy Self Sufficiency Newsletter:
o Part 1 -- How wind turbines work, power available in the wind, swept area, average wind speed and what it really means. The basic essentials!
o Part 2 -- High wind survival mechanisms, wind turbine types, drag vs. lift machines, HAWTs vs. VAWTs, tip speed ratio, blade design, and lots of cool pictures and diagrams.
o Part 3 -- Choosing a site, good and bad site examples, anemometers, tower types, lightning protection, power regulaton, birds and bats.
* Explore other wind power websites from worldwide on our Links page.