5
Checklist
Check that you have received in your
delivery two cartons containing:
1 x alternator body
5 x air blades
1 x tail
2 x hub plates
1 x air hub spacer
Fasteners
1 x tower liner
1 x nose cone
Required for installation:
Mounting Tower
Extension cable
Batteries
Battery terminals
Connection blocks
Cable clips
Etc
Additional system items:
Regulator
Charge splitters
Volt and ammeters
Tools:
Spanners
Screwdriver
Wire strippers
Etc
The principles of Wind Energy
Wind is a function of solar energy unevenly heating the
Earth’s surface. As warmer air rises at the equator, cooler
air flows in to replace it, setting in train global convective
currents. This circulation which we call wind distributes both
heat and moisture more evenly around the earth so
providing us with a comfortable planet to inhabit.
The same process of convection also happens more
locally, for example differential rates of heating and cooling
between land and sea, producing the land and sea breezes
which are most marked in the summer. These streams of
moving air also provide us with an inexhaustible, if
intermittent, energy source.
A wind generator works by converting some of the kinetic
energy in wind stream to electricity. Air weighs about
1.2 kg per cubic metre at sea level, and kinetic energy is
expressed by mass times the square of its velocity.
Understanding this is a key to appreciating the energy
available to wind generators.
In short, the amount of energy available to the wind
generator rises dramatically with increasing wind speed.
Regrettably, the reverse is also true. In low wind speeds
there is very little energy to capture.
It is important, therefore, when considering the site of your
wind turbine, that you choose a site with the highest
possible wind speeds. In addition, the airflow should be as
free from turbulence as possible.
