Safety Safety should be our highest priority. Human life is more important than electricity, so please follow any and every safety guideline you come across. Wind generators, hydro systems, and even solar panels can be very dangerous, with fast moving parts, electrical sparks, and violent weather conditions. Some things to consider:
Keep work area clean, as cluttered areas invite accidents.
Always ground and fuse your electrical system, as well as each component within it.
Use common sense and be aware of what is around you. Keep work area well lit and avoid using electrical components near flammable gases or liquids.
Always use proper wire sizes and types.
Always wear goggles, gloves, and protective clothing.
Always stand upwind when viewing the wind generator to avoid debris in case of failure.
Always attach safety ropes and/or cables when erecting your tower and/or wind generator.
Always wire connections securely with proper insulation, such as heat shrink tubing and/or electrical tape.
Never touch the positive and negative wires at the same time while they are connected to the battery.
Never leave your wind generator unconnected to anything, unless it is on the ground. It must be connected to a battery or other load. Or you can short it out by crossing the positive and negative wires FROM THE WIND GENERATOR together, to provide a closed circuit. If you do not do one of these, it can spin freely and attain dangerous speeds.
Never expose batteries to heat, sparks or flames. Do not smoke near batteries. They can ignite and explode easily.
Always protect wires and run them through conduit.
Saftey is important, and the above listed warnings are just a few that can help you prevent an accident. Your most useful tool is your head, so use it in every project.
