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.

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.

Alternative energy for the home is becoming more readily available

Providing our own home energy needs from an alternative source is becoming more appealing to people in modern times. Lots of folks are aware of the problems related to coal energy and are looking for alternatives.

Some of the alternative energy sources for the home are:

1. Solar energy – Solar energy is popular in areas where the sun shines nearly constantly. Solar energy has proven to be effective for many people, but solar energy systems tend to be pricey upfront.
2. Wind turbines – Wind turbines are catching on in many parts of the world where wind is common. Some wind turbines can be built with subsidies and the energy can be sold to a whole supplier. Wind turbines tend to offer some attractive features to homeowners.
3. Water turbines – small systems designed to work in tandem with solar energy in areas where rainfall is common.

Disadvantages of Alternative Energy for the home

1. Initial price is always the main deterrent. It costs a good bit of money to install solar panels or wind turbines. The high cost of startup is the main issue cited by consumers who don’t end up using alternative energy for their homes.
2. Solar panels and wind turbines are BIG. You need quite a bit of room to install these systems and make them work.
3. The sun and wind aren’t always friendly partners when it comes to making energy.

Advantages of alternative energy in the home

1. Alternative energy is clean and renewable. This type of energy is much better for the environment.
2. Energy is free after your initial purchase. Once the setup is done and you know have energy to burn. In some cases, you might even have a surplus you can resell.
3. Alternative energy produces no greenhouse gas emissions so the environment will be better for your investment.

It’s important to think of purchasing alternative energy equipment for your home as making an investment in the future. You will spend more upfront, in most cases, but you’ll be contributing to a cleaner world, and you’ll be saving money from then on. If more and more people start using these type of green technologies for the home, it will drive overall pricing down as unit sales increases. When the price becomes low enough, everyone will have solar and wind energy in their homes and people will be much more reliant on energy monopolies to provide them with service.