Offer your thoughts or opinion on the input financial query or topic using your financial background.

Are solar cell panels and wind mills worth the money?
These are two rather distinct questions; only one of which is relevant to a Money web site. In general, the investment is questionable.  Leaving aside the green feel-good factor, you need to look at a total cost of ownership (TCO) and payback on the asset.  Neither is cheap as such.  There are DIY windmill plans, but you likely still need a commercial battery charger/inverter/controller setup. Government incentives, depending on where you live, may change the story considerably.  Many jurisdictions around the globe have both incentives to install and then power-feed-in tariffs if you sell back excess power. Your latitude also has an impact on your total available solar energy, along with regular weather patterns for both cloud cover and wind. One of the cheapest solar projects can be hot-water.  Particularly if you have a pool, or even for domestic use, if you use a lot. All that said, given the green feel-good factor, if you want a small set of solar panels and have the space/budget, go ahead!  You can add more later. For the second question: it is indeed possible to live off grid.  Some remote houses do just this, and the methods to accomplish it vary.  The number one thing you need to do is work on a power budget; and be both ruthless as well as realistic.  Fridge, freezer, AC, furnace, plasma TV, etc.  Depending on your climate and preferences, these may not all be possible for an off-grid lifestyle.  (Of course, if you get a propane fridge and have a truck come by once a month, does that count as off-grid?)