Life without the Power Grid!
It's amazing
to see where technology
takes us. My grandmother moved West in a covered wagon and
witnessed the building of the national power grid. A huge
effort
was made to provide electricity to every home and farm. But
if
someone lived too far from the grid, the only possible electrical
source was a small windmill for charging small batteries.
Today,
the advance of technology allows us all to have electricity, no matter
how remotely we choose to live.
Yet, living apart from the power grid still gives us a common bond with
my Grandmother's era: a conserving
lifestyle.
You'll note that I didn't say conservative, particularly in
the
political sense. I'm talking about a sense of conserving what
you
have because there isn't an infinite supply, a concept that the modern
world is just now beginning to recognize as a global reality.
A
conserving attitude is what really makes off-grid living work.
Before you start thinking that changing your attitude is
scary,
consider that most
people who live off-grid like it that way! It is
empowering to manage your own resources instead of simply paying the
electric bill at month's end.
Modern
people have become quickly accustomed to having a virtually limitless
supply of electricity available at all times, paying for the power
after consumption. We have become energy gluttons.
Living
away from the grid reverses that whole scenario. Electricity
comes only after
the initial
equipment investment and installation, and it comes in a limited
supply. Suddenly, family energy usage is something to pay
attention to and manage wisely. One eventually finds that
this is
a good frame of mind for acting responsibly with other resources too.
In many ways then, making your own electricity at home
promotes a
sustainable, earth-friendly awareness that mankind desperately needs on
a broad scale.
Right to the
point now; when you commit to disconnecting from "the grid", you
immediately establish an "energy budget" that is determined by the
capability of your energy producing system.
Depending on
factors such as sunshine and wind, you will have a daily quantity of
electricity available. You need to learn to live within that
budget, or pay the price of generator-produced power. A large
set
of batteries will smooth out the daily energy fluctuations by giving
you a limited amount of energy
storage.
Overall, most people learn to use less electricity (usually
by
avoiding waste), or they buy a very large power system to provide a
grid-like over-abundance. Comparing your energy budget to
your
financial budget is a very good analogy. If you regularly use
more power than you generate, it means that you either need to make
more power (bigger solar array) or use less power (more conserving).
Q:
How much will it cost me to make my own electricity?
A:
That depends on how much energy you need the system to make,
and
how much of the installation work you are capable of doing yourself.
Many people install their own system, but some states require
professional oversight. A very small RV system may cost a few
hundred dollars, while a home system that provides "plentiful"
electricity might cost $50,000 or more. Most situations will
be
somewhere between these numbers. Check out some of my Package Systems to get a
better idea.
Q:
How does a "grid" home differ from an "off-grid" home?
A:
In most cases, a dinner guest would never notice the
difference.
A modern power system provides the same electricity as the
grid. Dishwashers, microwaves, clothes washer, television,
computer,
power tools, etc., are all within the capability of an average-sized
home power system, but total energy use must be successfully managed.
Generally, electrical devices that are inefficient
must be
replaced with their efficient counterparts. Heating
appliances
such as electric cooking stove,
electric water heater, electric space heaters, electric clothes dryer,
all need to be replaced with an alternative such as propane, natural
gas, or wood heat. Refrigerators and freezers should
be of the truly efficient variety (not appliance store models).
Q:
Are you saying that Ill have to get a different refrigerator?
A:
Please understand that commonly available refrigerators are
designed with price and "features" as primary criteria, not energy
efficiency. Even so-called "Energy Star" refrigerators use a
tremendous amount of electricity compared to their efficient
counterparts.
Getting an energy efficient refrigerator and freezer means
you
will have more electricity available for other uses. It also
saves the
money it would take to buy more solar panels to support energy-wasting
appliances.
Q:
I live in a hot climate, what about air-conditioning?
A:
Conventional refrigerated air-conditioning uses an enormous
amount of
electricity. In my home, my power system will support the use
of
one or two of the smallest window air-conditioning units. I
try
to use them sparingly. With a large enough power system, you
can
do almost anything you want, but it is rarely practical to support a
large
air conditioner. Ceiling fans and/or evaporative air
conditioning
is a better choice in most climates. There are a few DC
powered
evaporative coolers available, ranging from about $800 to $1200 (call
me for details).
In truth, this is a subject that is only now becoming the
focus
of real technological development. A very promising solution
is here: coolerado.com
Q:
What if I want "life as usual" in my home.
A:
If you are talking about providing the same quantity of
electricity that is shown on your monthly utility bill, it is possible,
but it will be expensive. The average American household
wastes
an enormous amount of energy, primarily because at this time in history
energy is unbelievably cheap. When you make your own power,
you
will realize that it is no longer limitless and hopefully eliminate
energy
waste with careful usage habits and more efficient appliances.
A
conserving attitude makes all the difference.
Q:
This all seems way too technical. Will I be able to
understand it?
A:
There are levels of understanding in every subject.
If you
can effectively use your computer for daily tasks, you are capable of
the user-level understanding of a power system. But you have
to
want to learn.
Q:
What about water pumping?
A:
It is true that pumping water from a very deep well is a lot
of
work and therefore uses a lot of energy. Here again,
technology
provides an answer with
high efficiency
pumps
that are designed to make the best use of renewable energy sources.
Sometimes a less conventional system makes the best sense,
such
as installing a water holding tank or cistern.
Q:
Isn't a home energy system a technical nightmare?
A:
No. In most cases, the equipment is very reliable
and
trouble-free, once it is correctly installed and adjusted.
Understanding the basic electrical knowledge you need to
successfully manage your system is not difficult, but you have put some
effort into learning a few things initially.
Q:
What about maintenance?
A:
Lead-acid deep cycle batteries should be checked and watered
monthly, and some light, periodic cleaning is required occasionally.
An equalization cycle should be initiated at least monthly,
but
this can be automated. Solar panels require no maintenance,
aside
from seasonally changing the angle of the array and sweeping off
accumulated snow. Solar panels typically last for decades,
possibly a lifetime if not physically damaged. Wind turbines
are
mechanical things, and as
such they have a finite lifespan and may need some occasional
maintenance particular to the model. That said, most turbines
work for years without maintenance. Most of the system
components
require little or no maintenance, but regular routine "all is well"
inspections help keep you in touch with the health of your system.
Q:
How do I keep track of how much energy is available for use
each day?
A: Keeping track of energy production and system status is
easy with a good system meter. Read the overview of the TriMetric Meter
for more answers.
Q:
How do I figure out what size and type of energy system I
will need?
A: I can help! Most often, a system is designed by
following one of these paths:
1.
The system can be designed to deliver a required amount of
daily energy based on the customer's specific needs. For this to work effectively, an
assessment has to be made to determine what those needs are.
Sometimes the benchmark is related to something like
operation of
a large well pump or particular appliance(s), or the daily energy
needed to operate a
small home business.
2.
The system is built to meet a maximum financial investment.
In other words, we can design the largest possible system
that
fits within your budget. In every case, it is wonderful to be
making more power than you need daily instead of being forced to live
with just barely enough. Batteries last longer in conditions
of
abundant energy too. In fact, it's a lot like your financial
budget- it's much more pleasant to have plenty instead of "just enough".
Making
an energy assessment can be a lot of work sometimes, mostly
head-scratching and crunching numbers. Usually, the result is
a
rough estimate at best, but it is still a very useful exercise.
Designing
a system around a dollar-figure is much easier, but I would caution you
to plan ahead for future expansion unless your budget is large.
Always buy the largest array and best quality batteries that
you
can afford. Everything else is secondary, as the array
determines
the daily energy quantity that you can collect, and the batteries
determine how much can be stored.
Q:
Having batteries in my house is a little scary.
Aren't they dangerous?
A:
Yes, but only in the same way that many common items are
dangerous if
misunderstood. Simple safety measures such as rubber gloves
and
eye protection should be observed while servicing batteries.
Batteries can produce corrosive and explosive gases, but
these
are vented to the outdoors in a proper installation.
Altogether,
it is common and safe to keep your batteries in a designated battery
enclosure in your home.
But keep in mind that is isn't completely necessary for the
batteries or other power equipment to be located in your home.
Many people (myself included) choose to keep all of the
equipment
in a dedicated outdoor structure, away from the house.
Q:
How long will my batteries last before replacement?
A: That depends on two things:
1.
The quality of the battery. Low-end
batteries have
a
projected life of 3 to 5 years, while the best quality batteries have
10-year warranties and may last 15 to 20 years.
2.
How the
batteries are cared for. It is possible to ruin
a new set of
batteries in a few weeks by over-discharge. Low electrolyte
levels will kill a battery. Common problems: failure to
equalize
regularly, failure to fully charge at least weekly,
excessively
deep discharges, improperly set charge controller.
Buy the best batteries you can afford and take good care of them based
on simple maintenance and care guidelines, and they will give you a
long service life.
Q:
Will a grid-tie system power my home if the grid power fails?
A:
Maybe. Many systems are designed to shut down when
the grid
shuts down. That means you could have a hundred solar panels
on
your roof and no power to turn on a light or pump water. To get "grid failure" security,
you need a grid-tie system with battery backup. This
provides a storage reservoir for emergency electrical use, and gives
your solar panels a place to store energy when the grid power fails.
That way, when the grid is down and the sun is down too,
you'll
still have electricity.
Q:
Will I need a noisy, fuel-guzzling
generator?
A:
It is possible to design a power system large enough to
always
have plenty of electrical energy available, but it requires sizing the
system to meet the "worst case" scenario. At other times,
you'll
probably be making more power than you know what to do with (which
isn't such a bad thing). A generator makes it possible to use
a
smaller solar array, and make up the occasional shortfall with
generator power. The necessity of a generator depends on many
factors, including your local latitude and climate. A
generator
also provides a backup plan in case some critical part of your system
fails. I should also mention that generators need not be
noisy
fuel-eaters. I have a huge line of generators available to
meet
most applications. Many are both fuel efficient and fairly
quiet.
Q:
Why do you talk more about solar power instead of wind power?
A:
Much of the power system remains the same, regardless if the
electrical energy is being harvested by solar panels or a wind
generator, so I often reference a solar array by default.
Wind
turbines look good in photos and are currently popular in mainstream
media, to the degree that wind generators have quickly become an icon
for home power systems. But the truth is that wind power is
only
suitable for a relatively few locations where wind speed and terrain
are favorable, while solar arrays can be successful nearly anywhere.
In most cases, solar system installation is much more within
the
skill range of the average do-it-yourselfer. That said, wind
is
still an excellent choice if you have the right location.
Read my
wind power page for
more information.
Q:
How can I find out about tax incentives for alternative
energy systems?
A: Check out my
Resources Page!
Q:
Just how does solar power work anyway?
A: I've written a brief explanation HERE. For more useful
information, go to the Resources Page.
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2009,
All Rights Reserved.
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