Solar vs Wind

Maintainence
One of the most distinct advantages solar PV has over wind energy is the fact that PV systems don't have any moving parts.  No moving parts means no maintenance!  Small wind systems require expensive annual maintenance and on occasion new bearings or blades

Siting Concerns
As of March 2011 state wide siting rules have been halted, leaving each wind turbine a choice to each jurisdiction.  The jurisdiction may decide the turbine is a public health hazard or nuisance, meaning no more turbine.  This can lead to lengthy and expensive legal battles or engineering costs.  The location of your turbine also has a great effect on it's power output.  A wind assessment must be performed to see if there's even enough energy available to make your investment worth while.

Public Image
An unfortunate reality is that many people believe wind turbines cause damage to wild life, the environment, and health. While GSE believes wind energy is safe, public discontent for them is rampant.  Wind turbines have been known to tear apart neighborhoods and communities.
 

Solar vs Geothermal Heating

Geo does not produce energy

A common misconception is that a geo thermal unit produces energy.  It does not.  A geo unit simply uses a baseline temperature in the soil or water to dump heat or gather it.  In winter, water and soil temperatures can come close or even go below freezing temperatures.  If this occurs, there's no more energy to absorb from either media .  This means your heat pump uses electricity to raise the temperature of your home.  If the heat pump can't keep up because of very cold temperature, either  large electric elements or a natural gas burner has to come online to keep up. There's a reason your geo unit needs a 240V 50 amp breaker to work.

Savings Based on Time of Use Rates

Part of the reason geothermal installers claim such a savings is because geo units utilize on time of use rates from your electrical provider.  In WI, your electrical rate is normally near $0.12 per kwh.  While on time of use rates, your rates can vary at $0.06/kwh during nights and weekends and $0.24 during the day.  So you're geo unit is twice as expensive to run during the day while only half as expensive during nights and weekends.  What happens if time of use rates go away and you're stuck with one standard rate?  Or worse yet what happens your rates go up?  What happens to your savings?  There aren't any.