Gotta get a quote comparing the long-term (15/20/25 year) cost of the panels vs the projected cost of electricity over the same span. Panels may be "an eyesore", but so is the way energy costs have been increasing (at least up here in the PNW).
DAM STRAIGHT! It is really cool. I wonder how big of a stream it would take to generate enough power for a home?
Just depends how much flow and how much drop you have. More of a drop you can run it through a pipe and get more pressure. This guy did a 5 kW which would be plenty for a house if you had a decent size battery. http://ludens.cl/paradise/turbine/turbine.html
No idea. Have you heard of Earthship homes? They are supposed to be super self-sustaining homes that utilize wind, water, thermal, etc. and use alot of recycled materials. A guy i know built one up on a mountainside near where i live. Definitely some hippie shit but very cool. They aren’t always wonky looking either, they can sort of be styled to the clients requests. The video below is the actual one near me.
