What is the best energy source in an island resort? a solar energy or wind energy?

Question

which of the two energy sources is cheaper in cost...

Answer 1

Some of the new vertical wind generators are quite inexpensive, but the new nanosolar is also supposed to be less expensive than regular solar panels.

http://www.nanosolar.com/

http://peswiki.com/index.php/Directory:V...

http://www.google.com/products?q=solar+p...

Answer 2

It would depend on the location of the island.  Wind energy would be nearly useless in the Doldrums region while Solar energy would be highly inefficient in the Aleutians.

Answer 3

I would say a combination of solar and waste energy.

Answer 4

it does matter, how reliable the wind is.

we know about the sun.

doesn't help with lights at night.

Answer 5

solar because its the most powerful its the sun basically and it is what made what the earth is today just asking what for also i dont think they sell wind energy if they do where

Answer 6

Wind is cheaper per kwh rated output.   Now you have to figure out what type of island resort is it?   If its for swimming and lounging around in the sun, there is probably lots of sun and little wind, so solar would be better.   If its main attraction is sail or kiteboarding then its probably windy most of the time.    There are places where the wind is more reliable than the electric grid, so don't believe wind cannot be a good choice if located properly.   Also, a well designed windmill in good condition needs not be noisy at all.   Just like any machine, if it isn't working correctly it will make excess noise.

Answer 7

I'm new at this also, so I can't give you a complete answer, but I did hear on Planet Green yesterday that one wind mill- those white ones they put in the fields to create wind energy- can produce enough energy in one day to power the average home for a month.  I'm going to keep an eye on the answers to this question, cuz it's an interesting one!

Answer 8

Ideally you'd just have a nuclear reactor in the basement with enough fuel for 20 years but that's not quite as legal as it should be.

A combination of wind and solar would be what you'd want, but put the wind turbines well away since they tend to be noisy.

You'll also need backup power since neither source is reliable (that's why they are useless for solving global warming), a battery bank should be able to help (but be expensive and need a lot of maintenance) but you would also want to keep a low-rpm diesel generator (quite and efficient) on hand and enough fuel to last awhile (say until the next resupply).

With fuel prices as they are you'd probably want to avoid using the diesel but it is a good idea to have it anyway.

If the island has an electricity grid then a connection to that would be a good idea, whether or not you can generate your own power cheaper (and could replace the diesel as ultimate backup).

Answer 9

Both and they are both pricey

there is also tidal energy

if you have waterfalls you can add turbines as well

a lot depends on where the island is as far as the solar is concerned.

Answer 10

I thing wind energy is much reliable because wind usually continues day & night, so we don’t need much batteries or backup system, but we should choose the perfect location for the wind fan.