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Wind vs. Solar Energy in Alabama
This map shows the solar resource in the United States for photovoltaic
systems.

Alabama has GREAT access to solar energy.  
The Department of Energy's Wind Program and the National Renewable
Energy Laboratory (NREL) published a wind resource map for the state of
Alabama. The wind resource map shows the predicted mean annual wind
speeds at 80-m height. Areas with annual average wind speeds around 6.5
m/s and greater at 80-m height are generally considered to have suitable
wind resource for wind development.

Alabama has very few places where harvesting wind energy will be feasible.
 Just a note:  80 meters is 260 feet, much too high for a private tower.  A 60
ft or 100 ft tower is typical for wind turbines.  Alabama has almost nothing at
that height.

NREL states that we need about 15 mph wind to harvest the energy.  
Advancements in turbine technology have lowered that number to around 10
mph, or 4.5 meters per second.  Even at that number, Alabama does not
make the mark.

So, wind will likely not provide a lot of your power.  But it might just be a part
of your overall package to reduce your dependence on fossil fuels.
Wind Resource Map - Alabama
Solar Energy Resource Map - US
I often get questions about wind power.  Because it takes so much wind to produce power, Alabama has few
places where wind turbines are economical.  However, a wind turbine might be an important component of an
alternate energy system.  Our renewable energy systems rely heavily on solar.  But the wind is often strong when
the solar is not.  Besides, some people just want one...