Generator Plans Reviewed
Build A Wind Generator: The Best Beginner Plans Reviewed
First off, my goal in reviewing the top do-it-yourself build a wind generator plans out there was not to find the most genius plans that require a degree from MIT to complete. If you’re a mechanical type, there’s plenty of cool free plans out there to peruse. You won’t be interested in my recommendations on this page. But if you’re a regular homeowner who knows how to read and change a lightbulb, these systems were made with you in mind.
Of course, I consider myself in the latter category even though I’ve been pretty successful implementing both wind and solar energy techniques on my own ranch. But Susan and I had to learn all that stuff the hard way. With new technology and better ways of communicating (thank you, internet!) you’ve got it a lot easier than we did.
There’s maybe 6 or 7 plans out there that fit into this category that Susan and I read through, some are heavily advertised almost to the point where you would dismiss just because you think it must be a gimmick. Frankly, most of what we looked at could legitimately be called gimmicky with very little useful information for the average person looking to install utilize wind energy. But we did find some gems in the bunch. We culled three systems from our search that are worth looking at and one clear winner out of those.
Here’s the criteria we used in picking the winner:
- It must be easy to understand for the average layman (no technical jargon!)
- It must be complete — The instructions should take you from zero knowledge to complete set-up and leave no gaps.
- It’s got to be clever — There are so many “tricks of trade” when it comes to home systems. We wanted a program that taught you these things.
- It should have excellent support and customer service available.
- It should not cost you $5000 to install a wind power system and the winning program should teach you how to do it for hundreds instead. Get my drift?
Number 1 Pick: Earth 4 Energy — Created by a real energy guru, Michael Harvey, who refined his techniques on his own off-the-grid homestead in Australia, this system is heads and tails above the rest. This system comes with tons of diagrams, videos, and step-by-step instructions that the others lack, and both wind and solar projects are covered in-depth. There are some minor details (battery storage issues) I think could be improved on, but at around $40 bucks, you’re getting your money’s worth. If you’re playing around with the idea of tackling a home-energy project, start here. Read more at their official website (where, by the way, you can buy the system for the cheapest price).
Runner Up: Homemade Energy — I’ll be frank, it’s not as good or complete as Michael’s program, but we liked it enough to recommend as a supplement. It definitely needs more diagrams. Check it out for yourself.
Honorable Mention: Energy 4 Green — At first glance is seems like a spin-off of Earth 4 Energy, but it does have some unique ideas of its own. Worth checking out.
Special note: Be careful of any other plans out there, and be sure to pass on the programs you’ve tried and liked. We’ll add them to our reviews.
