Currently, a client in rural Oregon, who owns a windy butte, is looking at installing a major sized wind generator on the mountain top, and selling power back to the grid. All of that sounds like fun, but what about a normal residential client who wants to look at wind generation? The fact is that small wind-electric systems can provide electricity not just on remote, off-grid sites, but also right in town connected to the utility grid. Local ordinances preventing wind generation are quickly being abolished in many jurisdictions, so be sure to check for local prohibitions. Wind systems do require more maintenance and attention than solar-electric or micro-hydro electric systems.

Unfortunately there are a lot of cheap systems on the market, which will break down after a year or two. But, if you do the due-diligence research before investing in a system, there is some great stuff on the market. Be warned: small-scale wind energy is not for the half-hearted, uninvolved, or uncommitted, and probably not for folks who never change the oil in their vehicles, or those who are not willing to spend the bucks to hire someone to do the tower work on their wind generator. But, for clients who are willing to do the homework before purchasing, designing, and installing a well-thought-out system and who are committed to maintaining the systems, or to hiring someone to do it regularly, this can be a great way to be “Green”.

So, if you have a client who is into wind, then go to one of my favorite info sources, Home Power Magazine, to find excellent articles on Wind Energy:

• Estimating Wind Energy
• Wind Generator Tower Basics
• Wind-Electric Systems Simplified
• How To Buy a Wind-Electric System
• Wind Turbine Buyer´s Guide

We hear a lot about wind power and photo voltaic power generation, but when it comes to what we can actually do in a practical way, the wind power is often illegal to install in our neighborhood, and we usually can’t afford the photo-voltaic installation.

But, there is one area of clean renewable energy that most people haven’t thought of, Micro-Hydro. This is where you have any sort of elevation change in your property that creates a water wall, even a downspout, or a merely seasonal flow. 30 years ago I designed six micro hydro plants small elevation changes in for irrigation ditches in the Grand Coolee Dam irrigation project in Eastern Washington. All of them were seasonal flows, and one was even named Summer Falls, and one was only 6kw, My boats usually have larger gen sets (9-12kw).

Currently, there is a growing trend in home micro-hydro installations. All you need is a little rain an elevation change, some enthusiasm, PVC pipe, a turbine and a little know how to convert your run-off water into electric power. Home Energy Magazine has a great series of how to design it and how to do it articles on this. And it is something an architect can easily work into a storm water retention program for more green points. Check  all this out at Home Power Magazine.