Skystream Church

A small Skystream wind turbine from Southwest Windpower installed at a church converted to a home in Ohio. The turbine costs between $12,000 and $18,000 to install and pays for itself in as little as five years with the right conditions, according to the company. Like many small wind turbines, the Skystream has an integrated inverter and is designed to be connected to the grid. The incentives for small wind turbines improved recently so that consumers can get a 30 percent tax credit on the installation costs.

The challenge of microwind turbines is finding--and choosing--sites with sufficiently strong wind, particularly in cities.