Build Your Own Wind Turbine Course

^{April 2010}

V3 Power will be running a "How to Build Your Own Wind turbine" course in April. The venue of the course has not been confirmed - we are still looking for a host for the completed turbine. Please let us know if you have a suitable site for the installation!

Over the course of the week the group will be building a 2.4m turbine, 7m tower and installing the off-grid battery system. Participants will gain an in-depth knowledge of the Hugh Piggott turbine and how it's built, and get loads of hands-on practical experience. It will equip participants with everything they need to be able build and install their own wind turbine.

Objective

To build a wind turbine and through this, teach participants the theory and practice of turbine building and installation.

Course Structure

Days will start with theory session relating to the days practical work. Details of subjects covered in these sessions are listed below. The group will then be split into 3 teams, each rotating around different workshops. This way everybody gets a full experience of each part of the build. The workshops are listed below.

Blades Workshop

Participants will be carving the blades using hand-tools such as drawknives, spokeshaves, planes and files. The blades start as blocks of straight grained wood and are carved into the 3D shape consisting of a twisted front face and aerofoil back face.

Alternator Workshop

To make the alternator this base will cover tasks that include: Winding copper coils and soldering them together to make the stator, mounting magnets on steel disks preparing moulds for casting with resin, working on the electrical system – connecting batteries, brake switch and charge control system

Mounting and Tower Workshop

This is a metal working base, where attendees will be taught welding, and manufacture the mounting that holds everything together and the tower which holds the turbine in the air. Course participants will get experience in a wide range of metal working skills, such as welding, grinding, drilling filing.

Electrical System Workshop

One of the workshops will be connecting up an off-grid system and using the batteries. We will cover 12V systems as well as connecting and using an inverter, and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of each.

In the evening there will be time for activities depending on demand: more theory if requested, more work on the turbine, discussions about renewable energy or a walk in the beautiful surrounding scenery.

The course will culminate at the end of the week with the turbine being assembled, erected and the electrical system installed.

Teaching Sessions

The following subjects will be covered in morning sessions.  If you have anything specific 
you'd like us to cover, please get in touch before the course and we'll ensure we incorporate it.

• Introduction to Wind Power

• The Hugh Piggott Turbine

• Blade Theory

• Alternator Theory

• Mounting and Tower Theory

• Installation: Siting and Tower

• Electrical Systems of Wind Turbines

• Example of past installations

Venue

The venue is currently not confirmed. Contact us for the latest news.

Cost: £450 Waged, £400 low-waged, £350 un-waged.

What your money goes towards

The price of the course covers the materials for the wind turbine you will be building and the costs of putting the course on. The turbine will be used after construction, meaning you have invested in sustainable technology that will last for several decades. A portion of your money will go towards wages for the V3 course instructors, as we make a living from teaching people how to build wind turbines. Anything left over goes back into V3. We are a not-for-profit workers co-operative, so any surplus covers our running costs and is invested back into tools, materials, or teaching aids to better the quality and accessibility of the courses we run in the future.

If you are interested in attending, we require a deposit to secure your place.

Contact us to book your place