Many people live or have facilities in remote places, where it would be expensive to get power to the property. Offshore drilling sites, mountains, resorts, might apply. But, while being completely independent is a positive and has emotional appeal, here are the

negatives:

• you have to PURCHASE batteries, and these will BEGIN to require maintanance in 4 to 6 years.
• if you do not have wind for a long period of time, you will need to also have a back up generator.

positives:

• you are free of the addiction of being on the electric grid
• you have no electric bill 

Now the advantages of an "on grid" system are:

• you still get the advantage of the electricity because it goes from your turbine to the inverter to the breaker box.
• ethical utilities will pay you the "retail" price for energy that you produce, if you make more electricity than yoiu USE. (Unfortunately, in some areas of the USA, the utilites are not paying the retail rate, but a wholesale rate).
• you have to continue to deal with the utilities, but, if wind STOPS for an extended time, you always have the grid as a back up. 

HYBRID SYSTEM: Some are putting in an "off grid system" but also installing an extra breaker, so that they can be completely "off grid" by throwing a switch, and if the wind dies, they throw the switch and are back on the grid. The utility companies in some areas have been agreeable to this, others don't like it. But, it is LOGICAL and ethical utility companies should go along with this.

Many people live or have facilities in remote places, where it would be expensive to get power to the property. Offshore drilling sites, mountains, resorts, might apply. But, while being completely independent is a positive and has emotional appeal, here are the

negatives:

positives:

Now the advantages of an "on grid" system are:

HYBRID SYSTEM: Some are putting in an "off grid system" but also installing an extra breaker, so that they can be completely "off grid" by throwing a switch, and if the wind dies, they throw the switch and are back on the grid. The utility companies in some areas have been agreeable to this, others don't like it. But, it is logical and ethical utility companies should go along with this.