Small wind power seems like a great idea for a home or business until you learn the facts about how much more efficient, both cost- and energy-wise, large conventional wind turbines are. For certain situations, notably off-grid and rural locations with adequate wind speeds, small wind generators on tall masts can be a good option, but for the rest of us, mounting a tiny wind machine on our roof or in the backyard and expecting it to produce meaningful amounts of electricity just isn’t realistic.