Happy to read that you're aware of the incoherence between yours and "the other" solar energy - and that you're thinking about it :-) Most people don't...
I grew up with windmills around me, and I perceive them as part of the landscape in northern Germany. I actually freaked out a little when I saw some here close to Loja, Ecuador, as they're hyper-efficient here in the Andes. The thing is the installation - can't get them through the mountain passes, to many curves. The parts had to be transported by helicopter. Anyway, in the great energy crisis last year, Loja was one of the few cities that had more energy available, as they were not as reliant on hydro.
Of course, there was a big hype in that time to get solar panels. Everyone got them installed. Also of course, a lot of them were shit. Although there had been a drought and some rationing the year before, the government decided to take action 1 month into the crisis - taking down tariffs on solar imports. And suddenly, everyone got a crash-course on solar energy and was declared and engineer.
Now, that the crisis is over, I'm thinking about getting a couple of modules, but the house isn't mine, so I have to find a way to make them easily removable and transportable. Energy here is so cheap, it doesn't make much sense, anyway. Would be just to have an extra when power is down - but maybe I should just get a big battery.
We have a lot of windmills to the West and east of where I live. The winds off Lake Michigan and Lake Huron make them quite effective. The rich people who live no the west coast of Michigan have been able to lobby to keep them away. Your comment about solar is one of my biggest concerns. There seem to be a lot of fly by night companies out there and it's hard to know who you can trust to get quality equipment and install services. I probably wouldn't get them if I were renting either.
A friend of mine got a huge battery thing. It stores up to 24h of energy for the households here (which usually don't consume as much as in the US, no AC and less electric devices). The longest power cuts last year were 12h straigt. I think I might rather look into that.
My family in northern Germany has solar panels. My brother says that even in winter it keeps producing, not much, but some, and that it's overall quite profitable for him. Would be even better if he had an EV as second storage device, and he's thinking about getting one. My mom is thinking about getting a balcony solar system for her place, as it faces south.
There's a myriad of benefits and possible combinations around energy production and storage. The more you dive into it, the more you'll find. But best is always to find people with experience in your area. Wishing you luck!
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