back in Minnesota, many a farm had windmills and such.. maybe not huge like some out there today but..
in the right spots they can tap energy cheap .. and did before rural electricity arrived
Actually the old windmills pumped water into ponds, or storage tanks. They didn’t generate electricity. They aren’t consistent enough or capable of being relied on for that, even today.
They do serve a purpose, but the built a string of them along the mountains next to a coal plant. They can't tell if they are getting much benefit, after a year, but the contracts are in place for more. The maintenance is horrendous, and as I said, they are NOISY!
I am a solar energy guy, but thermal, not PV. You can make hot water cheaply, and save $$$ off your energy bills. You can heat your home, or take a long shower, with only the cost of pumping and circulating. The application of PV and batteries can only add expense with little return as long as the grid is available.
If there is no other power source, I say windmills are better than PV, but they're both far from perfect replacements for what we already have aplenty.
