But when he wanted to bring electricity to his cabin eight miles out of town, he went solar. The reason was simple. I can run power tools. Others, of course, take a more enthusiastic line. Over the next 10 years, if things go well, there's going to be a revolutionary change in the way that we obtain power.
Wind power represents an even more compelling argument for remote homeowners.
Turbines have become so much more efficient in the past decade that homeowners a quarter-mile from a utility line may find it cheaper to put up a wind turbine than to pay the utility to extend its service. Running into Road Blocks But for most consumers, barriers remain. For one thing, renewable energy systems are expensive to install and require more than a decade before consumers see a payback. Calif. That's far above the 6 to 15 cents Americans typically pay their local utility, he adds. There are other drawbacks.