So the bigger shaft turns the smaller shaft in the genorator?

Yes, the shaft connected to the blade will be smaller than the shaft connected to the generator.

Also, if you have a more specific question, I may be able to help.

Well, to be more correct, the size of the shaft doesn't matter, but it will be geared so that the generator spins faster than the blades.

Ok so is there a wind turbine that could completely power your house provided the wind was in your favor?

In theory, but it probably wouldn't be worth it.

In reality, the wind will not be constantly blowing. You'll have peaks of wind and calm. Because of this, you'll need to store the energy somehow. This can be done with batteries, flywheels, or gravity-water systems (forget the real name). This will be expensive and inefficient. It will also require a second round of converting from DC-AC, which will involve more loss.

You can use a wind turbine to supplement your energy from the grid (although solar panels are almost always a better choice for residential use), or, better yet, you could just reach a deal with the power company and sell your energy to the grid.

So, yes, technically, it certainly can be done, but it is not economically or logistically feasible.

Ok thank you for your help. What is interesting to me the most is the genorator. Do you have any idea what type or modle of genorator they use?

I am not familiar with generators specifically for commercial wind turbines. However, at the end of the day, a generator is a generator, and for residential use, you could find one to meet pretty much any specification you desire.

Go geo-thermal. Dig deep and tap in to te heat (stored energy) of the earth. At the very least, free heating and cooling.

the generator uses iron and copper, the turbine spins the iron in loops of copper wire and this motion causes the electron to move. (or equivalently the copper loops spin in an iron casing... motion is relative) The gearing helps with power output issues, so you can spin the iron/copper at a different speed than the turbine blades are spinning. Also most wind turbines have a maximum rated speed, if the wind speed goes any higher they shutdown, using some breaks to prevent spinning so fast that the blades break apart (or the generator over-heats, but i think the generator can easily be air cooled, and higher wind speeds means more cooling; so the physical strength of the blade is the limiting factor.) But don't quote me on that.

What specifically do you want to know?

oh, and Copper - because it is cheap, non-magnetic, and a very good conductor of electricity.

Iron - because it is cheap, forms a strong permanent magnet, and did i mention cheap? Although rare earth magnets may be getting much cheaper now-a-days, so it is possible that stronger/more expensive magnets are becoming economically viable.

Hi ezra,

Commercial wind turbines most commonly use an induction generator, producing AC electricity. Some turbines have now been developed which use a magneto (also known as a Permanent Magnet Alternator or PMA) as the generator.

Small domestic wind turbines, of the kind you might use to supplement your home's electricity supply, sometimes use a DC motor (ie the fairly standard type, with brushes), functioning as an alternator, as their generator. These are often less efficient than a modern induction generator, but have the advantage that they don't require gearing, whereas an induction generator-based turbine requires gearing to allow it to operate at the correct synchronous frequency.

Hope that helps but if you need more info, keep asking!

It would be useful to know exactly why you are asking? Do you plan to build a wind turbine for your own domestic use? School science project? Something else?

Do you plan on sabotaging one?

No I don't intend to sabotage one lol. I was just curious. I have toyed with the idea of making one but have never got around to it. :)

Come to think of it jamiet99uk do you know of any good books on those type of genorators. I probably will never get around to making one but it would be interesting to read up on.

If you're interested in power in general, I'd suggest you start by making a solar powered charging station. It's much easier to do, but will help with some of the basic concepts needed for any type of power generation.

@ ezra:

Hugh Piggott's book "Wind Power Workshop" (2011 edition) is a good little book aimed at the amateur engineer who wants to build a small turbine for his own use. It sounds like that might be the sort of thing that would suit your interest.

Ok thanks everyone for helping. :)