Wind Power (house, work, company)

[G&G]

I know nothing about wind power and am looking for some info on it, well I know how they essentially work, but how do you install and how much? Are there certain areas of Montana that work best for wind power? Does anyone have one that can tell me more? Your info is much appreciated!

[MontanaGuy]

but how do you install and how much?

I don't believe that wind power is practical for an individual homeowner and it sounds like that's what you're interested in. Wind power is just becoming practical on a large scale when there are many turbines and the fluctuation of wind speed is spread over a large number of units. In order for any source of power to be usable it must be predictable and the wind is anything but predictable. There are a few remote areas that generally have constant wind but they're probably not places you'd want to live. I would suggest looking at alternative sources of energy. Honestly, the only workable system that I've ever seen was a stream that a homeowner had used and they actually built their house across it and channeled the water into a turbine system that powered their house as well as several others. However, this is extremely unusual. I also saw a report about a house in New Jersey that had very elaborate building designs which allowed the homeowner to maintain a constant liveable temperature without using heating or cooling although it did not generate electricity for other uses.

[G&G]

Montanaguy- Thank you for your reply.....When we had visited your state we noticed the "windmill things" (sorry, don't know the technical name) and had heard talk of them and we thought these were the new thing for alternative energy...but had wondered about some of the things you pointed out.

[Delaneyland]

Hey GG...I've looked into the idea of a wind turbine here in MN, I got much information and leads from my electrical company. I don't know who provides power to you, but you may want to start there. If my memory serves me right, the power company told me a minimum of 22 m.p.h. SUSTAINED wind was advised to expect a 18 year payback on my investment. Here in MN, the power company is required by law to buy any power produced by wind or other means, trouble is the equipment expense (not to say anything about repair or maintenance) makes it nearly impossibe to make wind generation practical. Just my $.02