Looks like PV Solar is more realistic than small wind at the moment. The small wind results in Mass have apparently been disappointing.

Through the Small Renewables Initiative, MTC has made about one hundred awards to small wind projects, more than thirty of which are now installed and operating.... On average, these systems are producing [only] ~30% of what was estimated.

Small Wind Progress Briefing Summary

Perhaps newer approaches will be more successful, but I'll have to let the early adopters take the financial risk.

#14 - MDHATTER

Looks like I really need to chat with the folks at the Mass Tech Collaborative and get some information about what would work for me.

It is interesting to note, that including $5000 for installation, I estimate I could have a grid-tied 2.5 KW Evergreen Solar PV array on my roof for under $20K, not including tax breaks or other incentives. This is within reach. I'll have to do some bean counting to determine if it is the sensible thing to do it now, or to wait for the next generation of solar cells (greater conversion efficiency, lower system cost).

I'm seriously looking for a rooftop solution for a small home in Massachusetts that would cover 50% or more of my home electricity needs and have a payoff of five or fewer years.

I have been tracking solar clean power solutions, and would like to hear more about small wind.

We have net metering in MA, which means any power you produce rolls back your electric meter. You never earn money - just bank credit.

Any real-world solutions you can point me to?

That was... odd! Felt something in my chest and the old Muladhara chakra whenever a note was playing. Freaky.

I'll have to pump this out over my Squeezebox to the home theater system, perhaps after a breakfast of whole wheat gingerbread and strong coffee.

These are great boxes! They are called Benson Boxes, and are made by Freight Mate in TX. I have used them before in a previous job as a PC-PBX trainer for shipping ~1500 pounds of classroom PC servers and Dialogic telephony boards all over N. America. You can order them with just about any number and size of internal foam cavities, with casters if you like, and they are much lighter than typical plywood & metal reusable equipment shipping boxes. Heck, I'm positively nostalgic about them.

The picture of the woman fitting the shuttle engine looks like it was taken out of a Love and Rockets Mechanix story! What a cool job!