Neither are really pragmatic or cheap enough to put a dent in your utility bill, the initial costs are high and payback even longer. $20,000 in a interest bearing account will pay a good portion of your monthly bill for the rest of your life on just the earned interest alone. plus you still have the original $20k in the bank, which is also the average cost of a wind or solar voltaic system of any usable size.
Rooftop wind systems have come a long way but are still raveled with the problem of turbulence common to all turbines that are not 200 feet from any structure or trees and less than 80 feet from the ground, which by the way is the height most wind data comes from. Most wind generators rated outputs are for a constant wind speed of 26 mph, a speed that only happens in the USA 1% of the time, average is actually about 11mph and is barely enough to get a turbine to spin with a minimum of power output.
By far passive solar outweighs the other two but you have to have a use for that, changing you house to hydronic floor heat is one of them but is still a $10,000 cost, hot water heating is also an option but at $5000 to save $30 or so a month it is still a 13 year payback and by then the whole system will need replacing.
If you search you will find that residential wind that actually produces any substantial power to be almost non-existent. Photo Voltaic is a lot more wide spread because it is heavily subsidized and depending on your state it can work out to be a good deal, a $20,000 system with the federal credit, state rebate, and power company incentives can end up costing you only $10k in the end and may pay for itself in less than 10 years then pay you every month - that is unless your $5,000 inverter burns up a day out of warranty. You still need all the money up front and earn enough income to have a tax liability to deduct the 30% credit.
Rooftop wind systems have come a long way but are still raveled with the problem of turbulence common to all turbines that are not 200 feet from any structure or trees and less than 80 feet from the ground, which by the way is the height most wind data comes from. Most wind generators rated outputs are for a constant wind speed of 26 mph, a speed that only happens in the USA 1% of the time, average is actually about 11mph and is barely enough to get a turbine to spin with a minimum of power output.
By far passive solar outweighs the other two but you have to have a use for that, changing you house to hydronic floor heat is one of them but is still a $10,000 cost, hot water heating is also an option but at $5000 to save $30 or so a month it is still a 13 year payback and by then the whole system will need replacing.
If you search you will find that residential wind that actually produces any substantial power to be almost non-existent. Photo Voltaic is a lot more wide spread because it is heavily subsidized and depending on your state it can work out to be a good deal, a $20,000 system with the federal credit, state rebate, and power company incentives can end up costing you only $10k in the end and may pay for itself in less than 10 years then pay you every month - that is unless your $5,000 inverter burns up a day out of warranty. You still need all the money up front and earn enough income to have a tax liability to deduct the 30% credit.
