Wind energy can be less than desirable. To begin with, energy density of the air flowing past a wind turbine is undesirably low. Therefore, a massive contraption is needed just to catch one megawatt, plus anytime energy is converted, there's a loss.

Back in the 1600's, Dutch windmills needed a two-man crew on 12-hour watch, 7 days a week, mostly because a runaway windmill would burn its bearings, and then its hardwood gears.

Attendants of these mills worried about their mill turning to a pile of ash in the "good" old days. And these structures were woefully inadequate, delivering a paltry fifteen horsepower at best, in favorable winds, which is about what a riding lawn mower does these days.

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Question:  What are the benefits of producing my own power, say with a gas generator?  Is this feasible?  What are the costs.

Answer:  Although you didn't say if you currently purchase utility power or are "off grid", I will answer this as if you are considering a divorce between you and your power company.

Making your own power with a generator can be costly.  Here's why.  More than half the energy used to produce power is lost through heat, with the remainder actually going into making the power.

So, as you can see, this is inefficient.  A utility company power plant that utilizes nuclear or hydro technology doesn't have these parasitic losses.  This is why producing your own power will never be less expensive than purchasing it.

To go "off-grid" and to be efficient, you'll have to combine a few technologies.  One, solar (or wind).  Two, batteries with an inverter/charger.  And three, a generator.  If you're in an area where you don't really need air conditioning, you could use Generac's new EcoGen.

The EcoGen is intended for alternative energy systems and it'll integrate into your inverter and battery storage system, providing you with AC and DC power.

 

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