Alabama is RICH in solar energy, but dirt poor in wind energy. Still, many people, especially those that live on a shore of one of Alabama’s lakes, think there is plenty of wind where they live to produce power. I get the question so often that I dedicated a page to Solar vs Wind in Alabama. From that page, you can link to the renewable energy laboratory’s solar and wind energy resource maps. Even a cursory view of these maps will fully demonstrate the truth of the opening statement of this blog.
But look closely. The wind resource map shows the wind energy at 30 meters. That is almost 100 ft high! So, to tap this meager resource, you would have to put your turbine on a 100 ft tower. The cost of the tower and the maintenance of a turbine mounted atop it is prohibitive.
By contrast, look at the solar resource map. No matter where you live in Alabama, you can produce abundant energy from the sun. If you look at the video on the link above, you will see that solar will run circles around wind.
The cost of a roof or ground mounted solar array is a fraction of what a 100 ft tower will cost. And solar requires little to no maintenance. Beautiful!
Thanks for thinking solar. Schedule a tour of the Alabama Solar Technology Center and see first-hand what an off-grid solar power system can do for you!
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