When you have all the pre-screening details worked out, you can determine the wind turbine's location by its lot size, tower construction and cabling distance to the primary building. The ideal location is where you get the strongest winds for your budget. Higher wind speed and laminar flow are best over unobstructed land, rather than near tall woods or forests. These raise the "working" ground level relative to the height of the trees which in turn lowers the relative tower height. 

A free-standing tower can be installed practically anywhere you can install a concrete base. The tower usually comes in either tripod lattice or tubular form. Guyed towers are cheaper and more popular but they need more room for guy wire installation. In general, allow clearance of a radius of at least half the tower's height for guy wires (so a 60-foot tower needs 30 feet of clear space all around).

You will have to use power cables to connect your battery or inverter to the wind turbine. To connect the house and tower, you can use an aerial cable, a direct buried cable or a PVC plastic conduit cable. The choice depends on your preference and any obstacles in the cable's path. It's simpler to use an overhead cable than to dig up a paved walkway or blast rock. However, make sure you follow local electrical code regulations for electric shock and fire safety. If you are close to urban areas, you may also need building and zoning permits. Wind installations are usually in rural areas where there are few zoning restrictions and it is easy to obtain building permits. However, it is always best to check the permits required right at the start, wherever the tower is to be raised, and to be prepared for possible questions.

First, draw a clear site plan, displaying property lines with set-back distances. Most building officials are ignorant about wind turbines unless they offer assistance for something "neat." Insufficient information may throw more safety queries your way, so have your facts ready!

• Have pictures of local radio/TV antennae of various heights ready. Most people go right past these towers (which often have wind turbines attached) without a second look.
• Request drawings of your proposed equipment from your tower manufacturer to assist your building inspector's evaluation, as he is more familiar with walls and roof trusses than towers. Pre-engineered drawings offer reassurance of the unit's strength in any weather.
• Get you neighbors' support. This shouldn't be too hard as wind turbines reflect good environmental stewardship. Your neighbors' lifestyle will not be disrupted by your tower – and nor will their TV reception as long as there's a minimum of 200 feet (61 meters) distance between them and the tower. When the turbine is running, the noise will mostly be drowned out by other sounds at that distance.
• Check the legal easements or rights-of-way on telephone cables and underground gas supplied to your home. Consult your lawyer with your site plan for confirmation as you don't want a legal bill in the future or to have to