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DIY Wind Generator for Boats

Harness wind energy, not only to fill your sails, but also to charge batteries while you are away from the dock. Wind generators have the potential to generate power on windy days and nights, and should be used as part of a larger energy generation plan that keeps you covered at all times. You can easily build a wind generator and affix it to your stern pole. The next step is wiring your generator to your boat's electrical wire; consult with an experienced electrician before wiring electrical circuits.

Things You'll Need

Blades
Rotor
Motor
12-gauge AWG cable
Battery bank
Charge controller
Blocking diode
AC inverter

Instructions

- 1
  Make sure your motor runs quietly, since you may be running it day and night. Make sure that your motor produces a voltage slightly greater than the voltage you require, for a relatively low RPM. When using a motor as a generator, some energy naturally gets dissipated.
- 2
  Use bolts to connect the blades to the rotor.
- 3
  Mount your motor to a wooden platform large enough to house the blades, rotor, motor, and an aluminum tail. You can simply strap your motor to the platform. Connect your blades and rotor to the motor by attaching the shaft from the rotor to the motor shaft.
- 4
  Strap a triangular aluminum tail to the other side of the wooden platform. The aluminum tail keeps your generator turned into the wind, so that it can continue to produce electricity.
- 5
  Mount your generator in the optimal location on your boat. Radar arches often lend themselves to mounting equipment. Mast mounts allow you to position your generator in an area that receives a lot of wind, and will enable you to maintain a clear deck. The stem pole is the most common place to mount a wind generator: the generator is mounted on an aluminum pipe, which is attached to the stem pole with a rail clamp.
- 6
  Wire your generator, after mounting it in the desired location. Connect the motor to a blocking diode, using 12-gauge AWG cable. The blocking diode ensures that charge only flows in one way, from the generator to the battery bank. Connect the negative terminal to the white wire, connect the positive terminal to the black wire, and connect the green wire to the generator mounting, to serve as a ground.
- 7
  Use 12-gauge AWG cable to connect the blocking diode to a charge controller.
- 8
  Connect the charge controller, using 12-gauge AWG cable, to a dump load, which will prevent excess charge from reaching your batteries by disposing of charge in the form of heat. Connect the charge controller, as well, to the battery bank. You now are ready to use your wind generator to charge batteries.
- 9
  Wire your battery bank to an AC inverter, if needed to charge appliances using alternating current. Wire the positive terminal of each deep-cycle battery to the negative terminal of the battery next to it, using 8-gauge AWG cable. Connect all batteries in this way, until only two terminals, each on a different battery, are not connected together. Connect these two terminals, using 12-gauge AWG cable to the AC inverter.

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