Wind Turbines - Pros and Cons

With any purchases you make, especially the expensive ones, it's important to carefully weigh all the facts before you make a decision. Deciding if you should invest in wind turbines for your home is such a decision.

There is a lot of evidence to suggest that harnessing the power of the wind is a great way to generate electricity for next to nothing. The current trend is to downsize this technology for domestic use and installing smaller, home sized units to help cut their utility bills.

If you are looking for ways to cut costs and have wondered if this is the right approach for you, here are some points to take into consideration;

PROS

1. Wind power is free to use (after the expense of the turbine). It will always be around, you don't have to worry about running out of it, though some days there will be more wind than others.

2. There is no pollution associated with converting the energy of wind into electricity, and it does not produce any CO2 emissions.

3. You can easily build your own home sized turbine for less than $300 in just a couple of days. The parts are easy to get, most can be purchased at your local hardware store.

4. Advances in technology have improved the way the energy is converted to electricity as well as the way it's stored. Technology is continuing to advance and the conversion and storage capabilities will only continue to get better.

5. In some areas it is now possible to sell the excess electricity you produce back to the Utility company grid which will further reduce your bill.


CONS

1. If you decide you can't build it yourself, a wind turbine is very expensive to buy.

2. If you buy a wind turbine already assembled, it will take you a long time to recoup your investment. The alternative is to build one yourself.

3. One turbine won't be enough to generate all the electricity your home will need to run your appliances on a daily basis.

4. Some areas do not have enough windy days to make it worth it. So you will need to check this out before you purchase one or build your own.

I hope this short list outlining the pros and cons of building your own wind turbine has made things a little clearer for you. Now that you've taken this first step, learn all you can about wind turbines and other green sources of alternative energy.