The problem with solar and wind is that they are feeding into an infrastructure that was not designed to use energy directly. I have a friend who designed an off-grid solar and wind powered home. With forethought, the amount of electricity required is minimal, mostly just for control systems and low velocity pumps. He used 70 cubic yards of concrete as thermal mass for a hydronic heating/cooling system. The windmill runs a 3-tier heat pump system that heats the house in the winter and cools it in the summer. Centrifugal clutches control whether the windmill runs 1, 2 or 3 pumps. Domestic hot water is solar. The range, refrigerator, freezer and clothes dryer are propane. Domestic water is a DC pump powered by PV cells that pumps into a gravity feed cistern. A separate PV/inverter system powers the house electricity, with a generator available when large amounts of power are needed. The inverter will run the washing machine, but he doesn't do laundry at night.
If this were a grid linked system, the generator would not be necessary. There isn't much peak power demand, because he uses the energy directly instead of generating electricity. A long shower takes no power. The environment inside the house is delightful, and comfortable year round. Unfortunately, our electrical grid feeds buildings that were designed in the era of wood heat. Are you cold? Set something on fire. The only difference is that a thermostat does it automatically, but the house has no inherent energy stability. To get up, make breakfast and take a shower you have to suck kilowatt-hours off the grid. The key to alternative energy sources is to eliminate electricity as much as possible. PV is a really clunky way to use solar, and wind generators are needlessly complex. Why generate electricity to run a pump when you can power the pump directly from the windmill?
