We get tons of wind, of course it does vary from year to year. We already have a windmill. We are at the top of a hill with nothing blocking the wind. The windmill averages about 1/4 of our electricity but, on windy days it makes it all plus some. We are probably going to do a battery back up. My brother in law owns a recycling business(code for junk yard but he doesn’t like that name.) He just acquired 25 batteries from the state for recycling, they are near new along with a converter. The converter is older about 10 years old. We can get the batteries dirt cheap but we need a good converter.
do you have room for a lake at the top of the hill?
you could use the windy days /excess electricity to pump
the water to the higher level, then on calm days use the stored hydro power.
If one windmill produces 1/4th of your power needs, then 4 should about cover it if you have adequate storage. I don’t know the size of battery you are speaking of but 25 auto batteries will not do it.
You are talking huge cash outlay but if you can afford it, look into fork lift batteries, cheaper per kwh than auto batteries and I think they are all deep cycle.
I have the wind to power my house but I’m 100% utility power because I can’t justify the investment. And honestly, if you have power when the infrastructure goes down, I’d be more worried about guns than lights.
You’re not going to provide yourself all the electricity you’d like if TSHTF.
You NEED power for pumping, communication, and circulating the heat from the stoves.
A small solar power kit would be worth it for the few days of sun and no wind. Size it just for your pump.
Battery storage is neccessary- but the cost is worth it for your windmills anyway.
You won’t have enough elect. for food storage and heat/cooling. Make other plans (you sound like you’d already have a ‘root cellar’. You might consider the luxury of a freezer in the root cellar- elect or gas- but that’s probably asking a lot.
A tile stove is is much better than wood stoves. If you have a local mason with any knoiwledge of fireplaces you could save your backs a lot of chopping and carrying.
http://www.lowtechmagazine.com/2008/12/tile-stoves.html