Glossary of basic common terms in the industry.

Terms that I call "buzz words".
After looking this page over you should be able to throw in a "buzz word" here and there in your generator conversations.
Enjoy

Ampere Unit of measurement of current.
Alternator An electric generator for producing alternating current.
Alternating current AC Current flowing in one direction and then in the other.
Anemometer An instrument for measuring and indicating the force or speed of the wind.
Arbor or Arbor Shaft An adaptor which converts your motor shaft to a useable threaded bolt.
Awesome Rotor ;) A set of generator blades that you buy from TLG. ;)
Sorry, I couldn't resist doing that. 
Battery A device which converts a chemical action between two electrodes and the electrolyte in which they are immersed.
Battery bank A group of batteries which stores excess electrical energy for later use.
Blocking Diode A diode installed inline on the positive wire coming from the generator which only allows current to flow in one direction.  This stops your DCPM motor from running off of the battery when the wind is not blowing.   Think of it as a one way check valve for electricity.
Diodes A rectifier that consists of a semi conducting crystal with two terminals and that is analogous in use to an electron tube diode.
Direct current Current which flows in one direction only.
Downwind A wind generator which has it's rotor behind the generator from the prevailing wind. (no vane)
Dump Load A device to which the wind generators power flows when the batteries are too full to accept more charge, sometimes an electric heating element is used.
Dynamic/Shunt Braking Dissipating the kinetic energy of rotation either as heat in a braking resistor or bulb, or in a direct short circuit.
Electricity The flow of electrons through a conductor such as a wire.
Electromagnet A magnet created from wire coils that produces a magnetic field when electricity flows through the coils
Furling The wind generator Yawing out of the wind either horizontally or vertically to protect itself from high wind speeds by changing the angle in which the blades are facing.
Generator A device that produces DC voltage by rotating a shaft around a field or Permanent Magnets.
Governor A device that assists in the control of the speed of the blade rotation.  It can be built into the blades ;)
Hub The center mount for the blades.  Laser cut like mine are hard to beat. 
Induction Generator A generator that produces energy by the production of a magnetic field by the proximity of a electric charge.
Commonly made from old induction motors. 
Induction Motor An AC motor in which the rotating armature has no electrical connections to it and consists of alternating plates.  Can be used as a generator if rotated at least 5% faster than its rated rpm.
Inverter A devise that converts DC to AC wall type current
Kilowatt 1000 Watts = 1Kw or 1 Kilowatt
Kilowatt hours A unit of energy equal to that expended by one kilowatt in one hour.
Leading Edge The blade edge that faces toward the direction of rotation.
Load Something that absorbs energy. battery, lights, etc.
Magnet A substance that attracts ferromagnetic materials. Either a permanent magnet, temporary magnet, or an electromagnet.
Multi-bladed More than two blades.
Nacelle The protective cover over a generator or motor.
Ohm A unit of resistance.
Over-speed When the wind forces the blades to go faster than what your generator can handle.  My blades slow down in higher winds so if the rotor is matched you have at least some over-speed protection there.
PM Permanent Magnet, a magnet that retains its magnetism after the removal of the magnetizing force.
PMA Permanent Magnet Alternator.
Propeller A blade that propels or acts as an airscrew turning by the oncoming wind.  Also known as Prop which is a slang term for the rotor which is commonly used by people that do not really understand wind generators.  So never call the rotor on a wind generator a propeller.
Rotational Start The point at which the wind is strong enough to begin turning the rotor.
Rotor A blade system which supplies all the driving force for a wind generator.
RPM Revolutions per minute, the number of times a shaft passes the same location per minute.
Shunt Regulator A device to transfer power when batteries are fully charged, the regulator shunts all or part of the excess power to a Dump Load to protect the batteries from overcharging.
Sigh-gone ;)

That sudden breath of air from your lungs when you step back and look at your generator on the pole, also known as a “sigh of relief”.  The airflow from your lungs causes a sudden atmospheric change around your property that will leave you without any wind for several days.
I made this up as the only logical conclusion for why we never have any wind for a couple of days after completion.  If you have a better theory let me know! ;)

Slip Ring Used to transfer electricity to or from rotating parts in motors and yaw mechanisms.
Start-Up When the generator has enough rotation to begin producing power.
Tail The slang word for the vane.  (the big fin on the back)
Tail Boom or Vane Boom The strut that holds the (vane) to the generator frame.
Tail/Vane Deflection A spring loaded vane that folds in a horizontal plane to turn the machine out of the wind as it increases velocity.
Thrust Bearing A bearing to handle the lateral pressure applied to a shaft, or a bearing used under your generator mount to support the weight so that the assembly can Yaw easier to track the wind.
Trailing Edge The blade edge that faces away from the direction of rotation.
TSR Tip Speed Ratio. The ratio of how much faster the blade tips are moving compared to the speed of the wind.
Upwind Generator A wind generator which its propellers faces into the wind (vane behind)
Vane A large piece of material used behind the generator to hold the blades in the direction of the wind.
Voltage regulator An electrical device to regulate the voltage and current from the generator.
Watt Rate of electrical flow. A unit of power.  One of the 1000 needed for a kilowatt.
Watt Hours A unit of energy equivalent to the power of one watt operating for one hour.
Wind Generator A system that captures the force of the wind to provide rotational motion and transfers that power to an alternator or generator.
Yaw Rotation parallel to the ground. Generators Yaw to face the wind as the wind changes direction.
Yaw Axis Vertical axis through the center of  the generators gravity.
Yaw Bearing The bearing that sits under the generator to allow the generator to rotate and follow the wind direction.

Return to Tips and Tricks

Home