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Recently, I have been watching YouTube videos about micro hydro electric power generators. Not because I have a stream on my property. Although, there is a brook across the street that flows year round.

I think it is pretty cool the systems some of these guys have built. Many of which had very little experience in it prior to taking on the project.

Some are used to help power off grid houses/cabins. While some are used to supplement the power used at their on grid homes.

The other thing I find interesting is some of these vertical access wind turbines. Again, I have watched these videos on YouTube. There is a nerdy guy in MA that has a YT channel called undecided. He will show these new “green” technology items on his channel.

The wind turbine he showed was made in the UK. Where the North Atlantic tends to be windy all the time. These were made to be mounted on the leading edge of larger commercial buildings. Like a warehouse or skyscraper. Unlike a typical wind turbine these spin on a vertical access. So, the wind can come from any direction. They also self close in higher winds. So, unlike big turbines they still produce power in lower velocity and higher velocity winds.

I have family in the northeast close to the Atlantic who experience fairly regular high winds and ask me to look at replicating pico wind turbines from them like solar panels work for me in the south.

IMHO, the main drawback from them getting a good ROI is that they don't need power as much as I do. Basically, their heavy energy use is with staying warm in the winter...which they use natural gas for. Their power bills are relatively small and, therefore, not much return can be gained by experimenting with turbines and inverters and possibly battery storage.

Here in the south the main energy battle we need to win is fighting the heat in the summer -- which means winning a power battle not a natural gas battle -- which means homemade power can give us a good ROI. (Now that we have an EV and drive it a lot, that's the main battle we have to win with our solar, especially after I made the A/C run more efficiently by using a variable speed heat pump and also a water heater that produces free cold air I duct into the HVAC return to help the HVAC keep us cool.)