Solar Panels Or Turbines

Which option will be the most efficient and easiest to maintain? From a layman's perspective it seems like a turbine would be my best option. But if so, should it be water or wind? Which is more dependable? Or is there another alternative I should consider? My funds aren't limitless, but this is somewhere that I am willing to spend a little more if need be.

 

All depends on your location. How much wind you get or if you have a area that gets enough sunlight to sustain a solar farm.

 

That looks like a nice setup

 

I was planning on setting up a system on the house roof but might rethink what building I put them on for that reason.

 

I think I will end up building a power house then can design it exactly for what I need

 

Great!

I do so hope you have a magazine of Enfields and few hundred lb. of .303 ammo.

 

Takes quite a lot of sunlight hours per day to justify solar panels.

Wind turbines generate more energy ... however, you are best served if you live where there is a constant supply of wind, such as the Outer Banks of North Carolina.

In the future, ocean current energy will be tapped. Ingoing and outgoing tides currently are tapped but not on a scale that should be seen.

 

I'm in Western Kentucky. We have more sun than wind, really. I'm in this alone at the moment, so being able to maintain the system is of particular concern. I really like that solar panel set up, though.

 

It depends on your location,weather gear that you want buy and so on...
Using both would probably be best solution

 

I'm thinking about a limited use of solar power. All that I really want is to be able to charge batteries and run a few low voltage LED lights. I like the night but want to be able to read and candles are not replaceable nor is kerosene. LEDs and rechargeable batteries will last a long time. This will also allow me to access my stored computer stuff. I don't think this will be a very big deal.

We get a lot of sunshine here year around and don't have snow. The spring with the pine pollen will probably require cleanings though. We don't have consistent wind in the woods so that isn't an option.

From what little I know about it turbines wear out faster than the latest solar panels and would require so specialized knowledge to repair if they go down. Moving parts wear out and most also require regular maintenance.

 

It may be worth gambolling on waiting for a little while as the prices of solar photovoltaic panels and deep cycle batteries are likely to come down as competition increases between manufacturers.
Whichever you choose Bleeding heart, please let us know how you get on.

 

I am in southern Arizona. We have an abundance of sunshine, so I went with solar on the roof of my house and pole barn and plan to increase it by another free standing solar array in the fall. My home is on 100 acres between two small mountain cuts where the wind is also accelerated for much of the day and I have three turbine kits that I need to assemble and place. I have poured the concrete pads...I just need to finish...which is also a fall project. Doing it in 110f heat is not my idea of fun. If you can do/afford both, by all means do it. Having redundancy is important.