The Energy Wiz!
A:
The research that I've read indicates that wind energy has about half
the installation costs of solar. Of the two, wind and solar are about
even with regard to reliability; the wind blows only some of the time,
and the sun shines only some of the time. On the other hand, solar is
less maintenance intensive. In either case, you may want to consider a
battery backup system for those times when the sun is not shining, or
the wind is not blowing.
With regard to maintenance, while wind turbines are becoming more and
more common, and the technology has improved over the years, wind turbines
have moving parts, and any machine with moving parts will require maintenance.
Just what that maintenance would be, and how often it would occur, I do
not know. I would suggest contacting a wind turbine representative for
those details.
With regard to incentives, please contact Mr. Michael Crisco, who is working
with the federal government's Million Solar Roofs program. Mr. Crisco
will probably best know of any incentive programs that are available.
Mr. Crisco's phone number is 402-435-0483. Mr. Crisco will probably
be able to help you with contacting a solar panel representative in your
area.
Editor's
Note:
The staff at the Energy Office respond to many inquiries on a variety
of topics from Nebraskans. From time to time, the Quarterly will share
some questions and the answers with readers.
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