Solar or wind for your house?

[RandySF]

If you were offered a choice between having solar panels installed on your roof or a windmill for power, which would you choose?

[Donnachaidh]

1. Solar, with battery storage in the basement

Off the grid for us...

[Fleshdancer]

2. Since we're never short on sun here in TX, I would opt for the panels

What about you? What would you choose?

[RandySF]

10. Considering we live between the SF Bay and Pacific Ocean

I would go with wind. Sunshine can be scarce at times.

[RT Atlanta]

3. Solar... based on the geography/climate of ATL

My house receives a lot of direct sunlight all day; wind, much less frequent (would be different, perhaps, for lake and coastal locations).

[yurbud]

4. question on incentive programs: Do you really have to spend $150 a month on electricity

to get them?

My father in law called because of the zero down, blah blah blah commercials about getting solar, but a couple of different companies told him the incentives are only for people who spend $150 or more on their monthly bill, which is twice our bill.

We live in California, four adults and baby live in the house, so our energy bills are probably pretty representative, which means that for a lot of middle class people who might be interested, it's out of reach.

[Le Taz Hot]

5. Solar.

The sun is more constant here in the Central San Joaquin Valley, though, with climate change, who knows? :shrug:

Edited for clarity.

[HopeHoops]

6. I'd go with the double-helix windmill if I could - I'm .08 of an acre short of being able to.

You have to have half an acre for a windmill in our township and I'm at 0.42 with no way to increase that.

Fuck.

I just had a new roof put on, so I might reconsider solar.

[ejpoeta]

7. we have considered both but neither are feasable with the prices. we looked into solar tiles to put

on our roof. I would love a windmill that goes on it's side, but don't know if we could because we live next to a wildlife preserve. plus i'd bet we'd need to get some sort of approval from neighbors or the town or someone else for that because that's how it seems to be with things these days. We have 18 acres. we don't have a lot of neighbors. but we have electric lines running through our property which kinda screws us up as to what we can do. Plus being right next to the wildlife refuge. No matter what help we would get with tax credits or whatever the cost would still be enormous. Our electric bill is high enough monthly to fit that amount mentioned. We have taken steps to curb that.... We just fixed the roof and put in a roof vent which actually seems to have helped. We put in solar tubes in the kitchen and bathroom which have made so we barely need to turn on the lights in those areas during the day at all. even when it's overcast. We put in lighting in them too though and are considering putting LED lights in them which might help too.

[Atman]

8. I live on a lake...the wind howls across the open water all the time.

It's kind of amazing that we don't already have a windmill. It's seems to be a pretty constant source. Hmmm....gonna have to look into this.

.

[SheilaT]

9. Quite honestly I'd want both, if feasible.

I'm in New Mexico where the sun shines almost every single day of the year, and in the spring we have a seriously windy season.

[Yo_Mama]

14. NM is supposed to be just about the best locale in the US for solar

Look into it. A lot depends on your insolation, but you should have a good starting point!

[SheilaT]

20. No surprise there.

Officially we claim 310 days of sunshine, but in my three years here so far, I doubt that more than ten days a year are completely overcast. It is a rare day that the sun isn't shining for more than half of the day.

Of course right now Santa Fe, where I live, is amazingly smokey from the Wallow Fire in Arizona. It's got to be more than 100 miles away, and the sky right around sunset was grayish-yellowish-orange, and the smell of smoke was quite noticeable. And it wasn't a pleasant woodfire smell, but a sharp nasty odor.

[Lucinda]

18. I'd want both too. And if I had a stream i'd look at water components too.

:)

[kick-ass-bob]

11. Solar.

Because the wind don't blow here in the summer. At. All. ;)

[FLPanhandle]

12. Here in Florida, solar.

Of course I could probably produce a shitload of power during the occasional hurricane. :)

[Maru Kitteh]

13. Here in Nebraska that would be a real conundrum. We have lots of both.

I don't know.

[JuniperLea]

15. Since I live in So Cal...

Where the winds are few and the sunshine plenty, I'd go for the solar panels.

[daggahead]

16. Wind ...

I rarely have a day without at least 8 - 10 MPH wind.
Unfortunately, we have a neighborhood association that prohibits energy-saving devices like a wind turbine or solar panel array.

[XemaSab]

17. Definitely solar

You're going to get SOME power every day.

Wind, on the other hand, is a really impractical form of power for home use. You need steady wind that's not too slow and not too fast, and most places don't get that.

[obxhead]

19. Both.

Why be forced to choose between the 2.