Can it really be done?

I'm not sure that it can, but I'm going to start investigating ways to try.  I'm talking about saying goodbye to the power grid.  I don't know about you, but I don't enjoy receiving bills in the mail.  The power bill is my most costly bill, and for that reason I think it's time that we parted ways.

No, I'm not going to turn off all my lights and go live in a tree in the woods.  I want to see if this can be done without changing my lifestyle.  There's so much energy out there that's just begging to be harnessed.  The trick is being able to spot the best opportunities with the lowest cost. 

Solar panels?  The panels that are commercially available have a very high cost to energy output ratio.  And, they're always getting dirty.  It's not like you can just hop up on the roof with a Windex bottle and clean them like a window.  And, you know birds won't have the courtesy to wait until they've flown by to mark their territory.  Solar panels are inefficient and get dirty easily.

Wind power?  Yep, that's what I need:  a 300 ft windmill in my backyard like those on the Texas prairie.  I have investigated something smaller like the jellyfish wind appliance, but it's only a drop in the bucket.  While it can generate an estimated 40 kWh per month, that's only about 4% of my needs.  And, at an expected cost of $400, it would take me about 8 years to break even.  Is there anything better?

I don't know.  I have some crazy ideas, but I'm not sure how practical they are.  I recently read an article about someone who retrofitted a push lawnmower with solar panels that allow it to run for two hours with no gas!  Even though I'm talking about electrical power, that's the kind of story that inspires me to give this an honest effort.  Any time something moves, there's energy available.  The challenge is to convert useLESS energy into useFUL energy.  In the days to come I'll write about some of my ideas.