Solar, Wind, Micro-Hydro

Renewable energy technologies are relatively expensive, but if you don't use much energy, you'll be able to manage with a smaller, cheaper setup. So the first step is to make your home and appliances as efficient as you can.

Having done that, you'll need to decide which renewable technologies make sense for your climate, situation, lifestyle, and wallet. Naturally, the approach you take will depend on whether you're intending to go completely "off the grid" or are simply interested in renewable energy as a supplement to conventional sources. That, in turn, will depend largely on where you live. Living off the grid tends to be cost-effective — that is, cheaper than the alternatives — where electricity is remote, expensive, or unreliable.

Renewable energy resources include sun, wind, falling water, and biomass. Technologies range from inexpensive hand-built devices to pricey custom-built installations. RMI is not currently active in renewable energy research, but introductory information is available at this site on the following technologies:

• Passive Solar Design
  
• Solar Water Heating
  
• Photovoltaics
  
• Wind Power
  
• Micro-Hydro

• Center for Renewable Energy and Sustainable Technology — lots of information on renewable energy and sustainable technologies.
  
• Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Clearinghouse — basic consumer information on the full spectrum of renewable energy technologies and household energy-efficiency opportunities.
  
• Home Power — the premier publication on wind, solar, and micro-hydro; it can be quite technical, but it tells great stories of people living happily off the grid.
  
• Real Goods Trading Corporation — publishes some very useful books on renewable energy at the household level.