One possibility of getting started is to consider picking up used wind turbines. New, wind turbines can cost an arm and a leg. Like anything else, an aftermarket exists which will allow you to pick up wind turbine equipment at a deep discount, because it’s no longer new. Since wind turbines last a long time, this may be the perfect fit for your budget.

Refurbished wind turbines may come with a limited warranty at a steeply discounted price. If you’re a thrifty consumer, finding a refurbished used wind turbine that’s been retooled by a company with a good reputation, you may not even notice the difference between your unit and a new one. A thriving business has sprung up selling used wind turbines from quality manufacturers like Nordtank, Micon, Vestas, Bonus, Windmatics and Windworld Systems.

Depending on how handy you are, you may even be able to assemble your own wind turbine from used parts. Of course you’ll need to know what you’re doing. But if you do, you can order every single piece you’d need from a variety of vendors.

In the United States, wind energy is a big part of the Obama Energy Plan. This should bode well for anyone looking to buy used wind turbines. As more federal money becomes available, expect many organizations to upgrade their existing wind turbine installations. As they do, the used wind turbines will be absorbed by the after market. More inventory for used vendors will mean cheaper pricing for potential customers.

Now is the time to begin searching for used wind turbines.

Solar and wind energy are closer than ever to reaching its’ potential, despite some obvious roadblocks. One of the biggest challenges facing solar and wind energy adoption are lower oil prices. As crude oil prices have dropped significantly in the past six months, demand for alternative energy investment dwindles. Solar and wind energy have been two growth industries in recent years, although the credit crisis is currently battering them. Demand for solar panels and wind turbines had been growing at a record pace, until the financial crisis caught up with homeowners.

“I thought if there was any industry that was bulletproof, it was that industry,” said Rich Mattern, the mayor of West Fargo, N.D.

Growth in the wind and solar industries were greatest when big lenders will still making loans to homeowners. As the credit crisis worsened, this source of financing quickly dried up. Not only did the capital for home improvements dry up, but so did funding for the manufacturers of the equipment. Currently the market descriptions are described as frozen.

OptiSolar, Ausra, Heliovolt and Sun Power have all announced layoffs in recent months, which serves as a stark reminder that demand is drying up.

Building wind farms is a business with high costs and huge capital requirements. With so many lenders unwilling, or unable, to provide funds, the future prospects are dimming. Solar energy tends to require a large upfront investment from homeowners that has traditionally been provided by banks. Expecting homeowners to dig into their own savings to finance alternative energy upgrades is unlikely in the current environment.

Still, there are some signs that the growth might continue. In 2008, the US became the world’s largest producer of wind energy.

“Global wind energy capacity grew by 28.8% last year, even higher than the average over the past decade, to reach total global installations of more than 120.8 GW at the end of 2008. Over 27 GW of new wind power generation capacity came online in 2008, 36% more than in 2007. “

Now fans of alternative energy are waiting to see what the so-called stimulus plan bring the economy in the way of tax credits or increased capital. Barack Obama has promised to bring a green economy to the United States, but so far hasn’t offered details on exactly what that means. As the stimulus package makes it way through Congress, more information about alternative energy is likely to become available.

Wind power is in fashion these days, with no greater of a proponent than T. Boone Pickens, a man who made his fortune selling old school energy solutions. Right now only about 1% of the world’s electricity is produced by wind turbines, but the segment is growing faster than many other alternative energy sources. Wind turbines tend to be relatively low-tech, cheap enough to build, and are attractive for environmentalists because they don’t emit greenhouse gases.

The growth of wind farms

One thing that’s attractive about wind turbines is that many electrical companies will pay people for the excess electricity they generate. For a person who owns a bit of land in a windy area, the advantages are obvious. You pay the cost of installation, and before long you recoup your investment by powering your own home (which saves you money on your own electric use), and you sell the excess back to a utility company.

Advantages of wind power

1. Wind power is free once you’ve paid for installation.
2. Wind is an inexhaustible supply of energy
3. Wind is completely renewable and clean.

Disadvantages of wind power

1. Wind is a diffuse energy source. Wind turbines tend to be huge and take up great areas of space
2. Wind is not always reliable. Wind as a sole energy source could be problematic
3. Maintenance costs can be high because of the giant nature of wind farms
4. Wild life can be damaged by the turbines

One basic point is that wind power is very appropriate to certain areas of the world. Windy corridors with a lot of open spaces make excellent candidates for wind farms. The big area of concern for wind energy tends to focus on the cost of the technology as compared to other forms of energy production.

T. Boone Pickens is a wind bull

Pickens unveiled his aggressive Pickens Plan in July for a simple reason.

“Our dependence on imported oil is killing our economy. It is the single biggest problem facing America today,” he said.

According to Pickens, a giant wind corridor exists from Canada to North Texas that, if tapped, could produce 20% of the nation’s electric energy. Pickens and his company Mesa Energy have put their money where their mouths are, investing $2 billion into building the world’s largest wind farm in Pampa, Texas.

The wind farm would produce 4,000 megawatts of electricity. That’s the same as building two commercial scale nuclear power plants. When finished, the farm should produce enough power for about 1 million homes. This project promises to prove, once and for all, just how competitive of a source of energy wind really is. Of course Pickens is thinking of a whole different kind of green in building this giant project.

“Don’t get the idea that I’ve turned green. My business is making money, and I think this is going to make a lot of money,” he said.

Of course the whole project was shelved in November when oil prices slipped. Pickens says the project is delayed until 2010.

Barack Obama is a fan of wind power

At least he’s been a fan of talking about wind power in his speeches. As the leader of the free world, he should be in a position to push real changes through. But as always, these decisions will need to make economic sense.

The green tech industry is already calling on Obama to keep his campaign promises. On January 3rd, 2009, Obama excited green proponents when speaking about his proposed $775 billion dollar stimulus package that is supposed to generate 3 million jobs.

“It will be a two-year, nationwide effort to jump-start job creation,” Obama said when he first announced the the plan. “We’ll put people back to work rebuilding our crumbling roads and bridges, modernizing schools that are failing our children, and building wind farms and solar panels,” he said.

The quote certainly makes it sounds as if a large number of the new jobs will be created by huge investments in green technology like wind power. Soon we’ll learn if a golden age of alternative energy is upon us, or if the plummeting price of crude oil is leading us backwards in direction.