You’re about to make the big decision: should a wind generator be in your future? You’ve analyzed your resources, both environmental and monetary, and weighed the pros and cons of having a wind generator. The only question left is: which system should you choose?

“what do you recommend?” is the most frequently asked question that I get. The answer—it all depends on your situation. I can honestly say that,properly specified and installed, any one of these machines will do a fine job of producing electricity foryou for many years, in the right location.Notice the qualifiers. If you install a light duty machine where the winds are severe, even for part of the year,you are asking for trouble. If you install a light duty machine on a short tower where turbulence will be an issue, you are asking for trouble. If you install a machine with lots of moving parts, knowing full well that you have no intention of climbing the tower to do maintenance and repairs, you are asking for trouble. If you never do routine maintenance on your car or house, what makes you think you’ll do it on your wind generator?

All of these wind generators have their ownpersonalities and idiosyncrasies, just like the cars wedrive. And, just like the cars we drive, they come in a variety of shapes and prices. Finally, just like the cars we choose, they all will get us from point A to point B.However, not all cars, nor all wind generators, are created equal. As the saying goes, “You get what you pay for.” Quality always comes at a price. To quote longtime wind energy user and HP editor Ian Woofenden,“Remember, what you want is value. I put high value on low maintenance, long-term performance. You do not want to buy bragging rights to the highest peak output at the lowest price. Instead you want the most energy put into your battery or the grid for as many years as possible. That doesn’t come cheap.