This guy, Hugh Piggot, is all kinds of bad-ass. He is the Eddie Van Halen of wind-turbine design. A few years ago I started planning my escape from the grid, and I found this guy making windmills in his garage out of scrounged-up plywood, magnets and wire he ripped out of salvaged electric motors, and axle parts from the junkyard. He can afford to buy stuff for them now, so the designs have evolved a bit since then, but the idea is the same – you make it at home, therefore it is 100% accessible for repairs if necessary and it runs forever. Even the design is innovative. It produces more power in light winds, and folds up like a turtle in high-winds to protect itself. I bought his book of course, and I may post parts of it here later.

http://scoraigwind.co.uk/