In the UK it’s apparently around 4-5x better in summer. That’s a bit situation dependent. However, even at 10x, solar still competes well with wind. A useful turbine is still over 10x the cost of an equivalent winter output of solar panels. The only advantage they have is space efficiency. However, if space is that much of a premium, then it’s likely messing up low altitude wind as well.
It’s also worth noting that solar panels are effectively a rock that makes electricity. Wind turbines have moving parts. They can ice up, and have to shut down in winter storms.
I would love wind to be a viable home companion to home solar, but the maths just doesn’t add up. It’s amazing at grid scale, but crap at home scale.
In the UK it’s apparently around 4-5x better in summer. That’s a bit situation dependent. However, even at 10x, solar still competes well with wind. A useful turbine is still over 10x the cost of an equivalent winter output of solar panels. The only advantage they have is space efficiency. However, if space is that much of a premium, then it’s likely messing up low altitude wind as well.
It’s also worth noting that solar panels are effectively a rock that makes electricity. Wind turbines have moving parts. They can ice up, and have to shut down in winter storms.
I would love wind to be a viable home companion to home solar, but the maths just doesn’t add up. It’s amazing at grid scale, but crap at home scale.