Has anyone experimented with wind or solar power? How effective are these energy sources and what are the obstacles that the users have had to deal with?

I am now looking at making my own windmill generator.

I think a windmill will be more efficient where I live as it is pretty windy a lot of the time but also cloudy.

From what I have read in forums the biggest obstacle or issue people have is the costs involved and the time it takes to re-coup there outlay.

Most say that a typical solar panel system will take upto 20 years to repay what was spent but the life of the system is 20 years at best. Overall the impression is until the cost of a system falls dramatically its just not worth it.

However depending where you live you may be able to get government grants/subsidies or tax relief thus reducing the initial outlay.

There is of course a far better (and considerably cheaper) way to put one or both of these renewable energy sources to play and that is to make them yourself. You can build a windmill generator or solar panel system for less than $200 if you have the right info.

Take a look here if you'd like to see where you can get step by step video instructions on doing this plus all the info on grants, calculations, suitability etc

http://www.squidoo.com/DIY-WINDMILL-ELECTRICITY-HO

I used to pay an average of $250.00 a month.

My final cost of my solar system was $21,000

So far I have not paid a bill except for a fee of $1.90 a month. I get my money back in 84 months: 250 x 84 = 21,000. I consider this a better investment than other unsecured financial savings.