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So You Want to Go Off-Grid...
Published In:
Issue #165, January / February 2015
Intermediate
- Intermediate
Have you dreamed of “going off the grid”—being independent of the electric utility? I’ve lived that way for more than half my life—30+ years. It’s a lifestyle full of benefits and responsibilities. But before you consider it further, let’s take a look at what it really means, and figure out if it’s the destination you want.
Why Off-Grid?
It’s important to clarify the terminology. When I hear people say “off-grid,” I often assume that they mean they want their home to be renewably powered with independent systems that make energy on-site. However, when I pry further—and ask if they actually want to cut the cord to the utility, the answer is usually no.
In the renewable energy (RE) industry—and in this article—when we say “off-grid,” we mean that literally. The phrase refers to systems that have no connection with the utility grid, and must make all the electricity necessary for the home, business, or application.
Going off-grid is possible and practical in many cases, and the experience of thousands of early RE pioneers and recent off-gridders confirms that. But many people who toss out the phrase have a fairly romantic idea floating in their minds. They imagine having no utility bill, and energy and life being free and easy. The reality is that most utilities supply electricity at a modest cost, and if you take on their job, you have to play all the roles that the utility plays.
Identifying your motivation for going off-grid can clarify your goals and help you understand if the reality will please you. Your specific goals may affect whether going off-grid makes the most sense, and they also may affect the type of system you design and how you live with it. Common off-grid motivations include:
- Environmental concerns—a desire to use less energy and make as much as possible from renewable sources;
- Independence from the electrical utility for philosophical reasons or to eliminate vulnerability from utility outages
- Political/social values, such as taking responsibility for your energy impacts;
- Cost—depending on how far you are from the grid, it may make economic sense to stay disconnected.
Comments (35)
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How many of you think that a 24x7x365 off-grid power system is by definition a net-positive power system? Why? If you can "keep it up", you must be producing more than you use due to losses and other waste. Maybe we need to rebrand off grid as "net positive" - what do you think?
It depends on what you're being positive about. ;-) Most off-grid system have a fossil fuel generator involved, and though they run a large renewable energy surplus many times, there are other times of shortage. I think fossil fuels are a negative...
Off-grid systems can be seen as very wasteful, because we must produce MUCH more than we use to have enough in times of low sun/wind/water, and we have to keep the batteries charged. If the grid is close and not expensive/burdensome to connect to, you can be net positive with a much smaller system, and have no generator.
I to have struggled with the terminology, in Northern California we think we have about 50,000 off grid homes. Yet the term is now used for advertising and marketing of people turning off their cell phones...and now living without technology. One commenter mentioned the propane grid - good point. How many grids do we actually live on? Power, water, waste, fuel, cable, is radio a grid? Let's open a discussion on what it means to be off ALL grids and what that looks like.
The terminology CAN be confusing. People also use "off-grid" to mean renewably powered. When I scratch beneath the surface of this usage, I often find that people don't want to actually disconnect from the grid. At Home Power, we mean no connection to the electricity grid when we say "off-grid."
Everyone has different values. I have students, readers, and clients who value renewable energy for its environmental qualities, for independence, for financial reasons, and because it's techie. Some people want to be off-grid for energy security; others to lower their environmental footprint. Deep environmentalists might say "There is no 'away' to throw things", and want to have "zero waste." We are communicating here because of the Internet, my cable connection to it, and whatever your connection is. So my "off-grid" homestead still uses not only this connection, but a (tiny) bit of propane, and UPS and FedEx trucks that bring stuff in, plus the truck and trailer of hay that came in this morning for my compost and mulch.
We're all connected in various ways. Our values determine how we want to change those connections, and why.
Best, Ian Woofenden, Home Power senior editor
With the threat of foreign agents shutting down parts of the grid, how can I "fool" my system with enough battery power (trick it to believe grid power is "on") so I can operate off-grid while the sun is shining? I don't want the expense and bother of a full time, fully-off grid system. I have an 8.8Kw system and isolation circuitry already set up and operational for generator operation (when the grid goes down), all signed off by local utility and local government. Located in suburban/rural Prince William County in Virginia.
I already have solar power and get credit from the power company but there's been way to many power outages here and its 120 in summer here. Company claims there upgrading but so far there been at least two to three time within a month this has happened. I was wondering if I should get a generator? Can I hook it up to my system? If so what do I need? The whole community is on solar here on reservation so it effects everyone. Most of the time the power company notifies us but lately they haven't. Its getting costly with food spoiling every time power is out. I can't figure out how to get my solar power to work off grid if connection is off from company. Any advice would help.
Dwoo 2319, you did not mention where you are located, your solar system size or KW needs during a power failure. Some recent grid tied batteryless systems can provide a nominal amount of 120 volt power through one receptacle during daylight power failure.
If you need more power, the Outback GVFX 3648 inverter is Grid intertied (capible) Vented inverter. 3600 watts with 48 volt input. I would suggest a small battery bank, say 8X 6 volt 220 AH Trojan T-105 batteries. This will store up to 10 KW for nightime use, with minimal energy loss compared with larger batteries.
It would require rewiring all the panels to an acceptable voltage going into the right power controllers. Perhaps selling your current inverter can offset some costs, or perhaps installing a new 2,000 to 3,000 solar system tied just to the Outback inverter and selected circuits in the home will work. Solar panels are fairly cheap today. Installing them on racks, inverters and batteries are a much higher percentage of the installed cost today.
I would suggest a 12,000 to 15,000 Btu high efficiency 115 volt ductless split heat pump connected to the Outback inverter. This will cool one room or section of your home during a power failure. 20 SEER 9,000 btu ductless unit should only use about 500 watts.
I should think that wanting to go off grid will constitute a lot of planning! And you'll need to schedule trips into civilisation quite well too right? That and ensuring that you buy everything you need so you can have it all in storage for when you run out of this and that!
One can be "off-grid" in the city or in the wilderness. As an island dweller, I see myself (off-grid) and my neighbors (mostly on-grid) planning differently than folks who can walk to the grocery and hardware stores. We think ahead, make lists, keep larger stock of food and parts and such, and rely on our neighbors to save trips to town for just one thing. I find that it brings out both efficiency and community in people!
Regards, Ian Woofenden, Home Power senior editor
The phrase "Off-grid" is completely appropriate and in my mind doesn't imply anything about one's personal motivation for making that choice. You can still live sustainably while connected to the grid. Off-griders may or may not be interested in sustainability. Every time I hear or read about the local utility putting up more barriers to residential solar, I think about going "off-grid". The truth is that there are too many self-serving entities resisting our switch to renewable energy and sustainable living to make a significant impact on climate change. We're all going to have to adapt to a very different world in the very near future, on the grid or not...
It's interesting to live off grid, but it sounds so conspiracy theorist as if we are trying so hard to get away from Big Brother because he resides in every and all technology around us. Sustainable living is a much better description for such things and it reflects exactly what living off grid is trying to achieve.
I echo Ben's comments, and it was/is foreign to me to use the term "off-grid" to mean cutting off from technology. For me, one of the beauties of renewable energy technology is that we can be closer to nature while still being connected to the rest of the world, and to technology that makes our lives better.
My homestead -- shown in the aerial photo in the article -- is off the electrical grid. But we have cable for Internet, a hard-line phone line that was used for decades before cell phones, and we're on the "propane grid", though that's become a tiny part of the energy use here in recent times. The Internet makes us very connected, and in fact enabled me to write this article and communicate with the rest of the crew about its production. I'm "living off-grid" right this moment, while conversing with you in a very public forum.
I agree with Ben, let's reclaim the phrase "off-the-grid" to mean not connected to a utility electrical grid.
Regards,
Ian Woofenden, Home Power magazine senior editor
Ian, You mention using "cable" to connect your "off-grid" homestead to the Internet. How does that work? I think it would be interesting to see a HomePower article describing what options are possible for folks who live "off-grid" to be connected. I imagine there are bandwidth limitations that depend on your location and available services.
I'm not very far off-grid, and the local cable TV/Internet company has perhaps the best Internet connectivity available at my site. I paid about $2K some years ago to have an underground cable put in, and it's provided reasonable connectivity -- significantly better than dial-up, which we lived with for many years.
An article on off-grid Internet service is an idea I like — I'll float it to the rest of the crew. Where I am, the options are cable, various forms of satellite, DSL in places, dial-up, and cell-based services. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, including cost, reliability, speed, delay, etc.
Regards,
Ian Woofenden, Home Power senior editor
Really enjoyed this article! My previous home was grid-tied with PV's and DSHW, was looking to expand on this with my next house, a small passive-solar cottage. Found a nice lot, but it would cost me $35k to run a line extension 1/3 mile down the road (Central Maine Power must use gold-plated materials), so now I'm giving serious consideration to going off the grid. It's just me, and I use very little to begin with; still researching it, but it looks like a 3 kwh system will take care of my energy needs nicely.
Hi,
I have a cabin near Bangor that is 1 mile from a utility pole & Emera (Bangor Hydro Elect) wants $40k fir their work, $30k if I get all the property owners from the pole to my cabin permission for their poles, & $20k through a private contractor (then I pay flat monthly fee of $30 & $10 a pole on my property for 10 yrs). Are you going to due the work or someone else?
I'll add one more motivation: going off-grid can clean up the power. Benefits include less wear and tear on electronic components due to power surges, better audio and video fidelity in home entertainment systems, and potentially, a healthier living environment with less AC radiation throughout the home. I'm suggesting DC power when possible, and well-regulated AC for the circuits that require it. While much clean power is possible with a well-designed grid-tied system, going off grid gives the installer better control of this imho.
Sky, I see your points there is truth to what you are saying. I am aware that you have concerns about AC radiation.. I am curious about your concerns. I served on nuclear submarines and I worked with the sonar systems. Most systems had one-point grounding to eliminate EMI and signal noise. DC current works good for low wattage equipment but as the wattage increases so does the current, more current also radiates magnetic flux currents in the wires..
Simply the best is to put a AC Power Isolation transformer for important AC circuits.
Most of the common Power Inverters use a digital signal for converting DC to AC, and are not as efficient as Pure Sine Wave inverters are. Pure Sine Wave inverters produce a sine wave vs. the digital voltage spike of the non-sine wave inverters..
I have found several places (you-tube users) have put a AC Power Isolation transformer on their non-pure sine wave inverter and were able to run single-phase machine shop equipment with impressive results vs. not able to run the equipment on just the non-sine wave inverter alone.
DC Powered homes and off grid devices. If one can run 24vdc one can reduce the amperage on the wires which will cause less heat per watt used. however with this is the issues of some serious arcing and sparking. 48vdc is fine for the grid to the charge controllers however 48vdc is in the voltage ranges which can cause fatal shock... and this is why it is NOT recommended in the buildings primary wiring..
I hope this helps all...
Harold in Maine/Georgia
48Vdc not recommended for house wiring? Can you explain? I don't understand the reasoning of that when typical home AC is 120Vac & 240Vac. There is an even greater chance for that AC to arc and/or kill.
I'm not sure exactly what Harold meant, but practically speaking, 24 VDC can be used for off-grid load wiring because you can actually buy 24 VDC light bulbs, refrigerators, freezers, and such, whereas 48 volt loads are not generally available.
Overall, most new off-grid homes are 120 VAC (usually no need for 240, and it keeps it simpler not to do that), but many of us old timers use some DC loads, and hands-on folks who want more efficient and resilient system still choose this option, though it is more complex and takes more knowledge and awareness.
Ian Woofenden, Home Power senior editor
Thank you for your insights Harold. As a recording artist and technologist I've always been interested in the concept of DC in the studio, but acknowledge your comments about pros and cons. I agree a "whole-house" system would make most sense for a tiny house or perhaps a specific room, and not so much for a larger building. Thankfully, technology continues to advance. For example, today's LED lights are much cleaner (sonically) than the CF bulbs they've begun to replace. In operation, my project room is lit by two 7W LED task lamps on the desktop, cables are short, and AC hum is much less a problem than it used to be. Best regards
Ian W., Thanks again for your great informative articles!
My first designed solar energy systems were completely Stand-Alone for tropical islanders ( to most, 'grid' power was strange!).
Technically, for most independent energy systems, we should use this terminology to avoid so much confusion by gen. public :
STAND-ALONE or completely "off-grid" power systems (avoids mis-interpreting as "temporarily living off-grid but having grid as 'back-up'")
Bi-Modal (PV systems) or "grid-tied with battery back-up", which are two solar electric systems in one PV system, iwith two 'modes':
1. Operates normally as the 'traditional',more efficient/less cost sys., in the 'grid-tied mode' (allowing energy storage,i.e. usu. 'battery bank) then,
2. Operates in Stand Alone mode automatically (or manually) if/when utility grid fails* by isolating grid-connection & then powering dedicated 'critical-load' circuits the owner has chosen to have operate.
*or anytime a Bimodal system customer decides to wean from grid, (like Lynn James...congratulations!), provided they have the array/power+energy storage capacities to live 'Off-the-grid".
Also, this option, as we recommend, is best for most customers without the lifestyle changes to Stand Alone like some of us.
Since solar module ('panel') prices have decreased drastically last few years, most aspiring solar PV system owners can now own a same size array bimodal PV system for less than a 'grid-tied only' sys. cost last decade! I also, believe living 'off-grid' is long-term affordable for most areas of the U.S.(& the world). The Islanders have been using solar & wind energy well for decades!
Thanks again for sharing your years of experience 'standing' on your own power, if one is committed to initial 'sacrifice' to live truly 'off-grid' the benefits are wonderful!
I'd really love to see a "grid defection" vs. "off grid" article exploring the economics of solar+storage with the traditional off grid decision tree as explained in this article. In my 10+ years in the solar business, I've heard plenty people claiming to want to be "off grid" but not wanting to actually live off the grid, like Ian points out early in this piece.
Now, with the price of storage coming down and utility policy changes in a number of markets (like Hawaii) I think this would be a rich area to explore. Maybe even talk with some solar/storage/ongrid homeowners in Hawaii to analyze this new "on-grid" off-grid.
We are a net energy producer about ten months per year in South Maui. This is a conventional home with 24 x 235W panels producing roughly 30 KWH per day on average. Energy credits have been working well for us with the local utility, but we are watching recent discussions about increasing fees and reducing credits. If this happens, the economics of going off-grid may become attractive, especially when any of the recently announced residential storage products comes to market.
The challenge would be occasional stormy days when daily production can dip to just a few KWH. Certainly no air conditioner, laundry or involved cooking on those days. Beyond the big three we're in good shape. Hot water is nearly 100% passive solar, and our general use of lights and electronic appliances is manageable.
Environmental is our key reason for going solar. Our home came with a PV system already installed, which was a priority for us during the property search. We wanted to be able to keep the temperature at a reasonable 79-80 degrees and still be net zero. Social/political is also a factor, as we are contributing to the community's growing perception that solar works. Philosophy is a third; I am imagining a desirable future and taking steps to practice it close to home.
I was selling back to the grid, but with my local company I was paying them to take my extra power, so after 2 months I called them and told them to come and get their meter. Been off grid for about one year now!
As about the most "off grid" location possible, the Frying Pan Tower, I've still learning more about how to use less gas generation, use our PV effectively and have just installed some wind turbines to help on dark days. (ref: www.fptower.com for my house) I'm considering replacing our must-run generator electric hot water tank with a solar system but am not quite sure how/where to start or if with very limited but heavy use (weekends usually) if I should just burn the propane for an on-demand heater? Thoughts are appreciated! Richard
While a flat plate solar hot water heater is fine for your non-freezing location, and will work well in your saltwater environment, a evacuated tube 20 tube system is much more likely to fit into a small box, and be easy to transport by helicopter or boat to your site. With an added advantage of being able to remove some of the tubes when you do not need much heat. You could remove 10 to 18 of the tubes when you will not be there for a few weeks. Installing more tubes under high demand conditions.
Good luck with your platform! Certainly a great place to go fishing, or raise shrimp.
Good Article Ian ! In your list of loads considered "too big" for off-grid, you don't mention EV charging. So, I'm wondering, can EV charging be practical for off-grid living? I know that some off-griders have small dedicated PV systems to charge up small electric tractors or golf carts, but what about a modern EV? I don't think it is practical or efficient to use the home battery bank to charge up the EV battery. Has anyone designed a charge controller which could be used to charge an EV's batteries direct from a PV array?
It makes sense to look for a non-electric way to heat water when going "off-grid". However, after adding 1800 Watts of PV to my Mother's original 1500 Watt off-grid PV system in Hawaii, we wondered if installing a small Whirlpool 12-gallon 120v 1500Watt electric heater could be used off-grid. Until 2013, she had been using a small Paloma tankless propane heater, but the heater is temperamental and she was looking to reduce her propane use. We looked at using a solar thermal heating system but it would cost more and be prone to failures because of excess heat. I realized that a small electric heater would be hard on the home's battery bank, but what if we ran the heater for a few hours at midday when the battery bank is more likely to be fully charged and the PV system has electrons to spare? So I installed the heater and an Intermatic Timer to turn it on from 1pm to 3pm every day. It works perfectly ! Hot water is available in the afternoon and evening, and even the next morning, it's still warm enough for a quick shower ! It's been running for over a year with no significant impact on the battery bank's state of charge at the end of each day.