I remember the first time someone asked us ‘ What does Living Off The Grid mean?’
The words did not come easy… the obvious non-connection to the grid always comes to mind, but there was (and is) so much more to it.
Then came the question, after a few years when the off grid movement caught on a bit , ‘what does living off the grid mean to you?’
Ok, so which one is better for living off the grid (or grid tie systems)?
We asked this question recently of some friends, solar panel installers, and all of our acquaintances who are using either Mitsubishi Solar Panels
or the Sanyo HIT Photovoltaic Modules
We have to admit to a slight bias here in that we have used the Mitsubishi product quite a bit longer than the Sanyo. And our off grid setup is only one of many that we have seen.
Posted in Living Off The Grid Solar Panels by .
When our family first started living off the grid we learned how to build a wind generator in order to make our venture successful.
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We needed a way to power our home with renewable energy, but every avenue we explored was just so expensive. After building our home we just did not have a lot of money left over.
We first went through a cycle of buying solar panels and batteries to power our off grid home.
Living Off The Grid does not have to cost a lot, but our first taste of off grid was a learning experience. We knew it would be a challenge, because we did not have someone helping us as you do here.
Posted in Living Off The Grid Wind Generator by .
Jan 11
21
Debt Free Living
It was our first introduction to debt free living, long before we started living off the grid. I remember that moment with my son like it happened just yesterday, even though 10 years has passed.
He got home from school on what was a great looking early spring day, and looked rather upset. He definitely didn’t want to talk about it.
Posted in Debt Free Living Frugal Living Living Off The Grid by .
Dec 10
14
Building Solar Panels
Building solar panels is one of the fastest ways to begin with living off the grid and it’s not really that hard, here is what you need to know.
With so many choices out there today we figured the best solution was to build our own. We set out to do just that, to solve the problem of high prices, reliability and ease of construction. The problem was that there were no books on the subject when we started. It seemed that no one wanted us to know how to do this for ourselves.
Posted in How To Solar Panels by .
Feb 11
16
Free Solar Panels
For quite some time we have been asked about our claim that you can actually find free solar panels for living off the grid.
Not too many people know about this but we really thought we needed to share it with you.
Not everyone can afford to buy new for everything they need and finding a free solar panel or two could really be a help
Posted in How To Living Off The Grid Off Grid Tips Solar Panels by .
Mitsubishi Solar Panels have underwent very stringent testing at our test facility, and we are confident endorsing them for living off the grid. Every single one of them has met or exceeded our expectations over the past several years.
And no wonder…
The Mitsubishi Electric Corporation dates back to its founding in 1921. Not too many people realize how long this company has been in the renewable energy business. When you decide to buy mitsubishi solar panels you are buying a top notch reputation and strict quality control
Posted in Living Off The Grid Solar Panels by .
The SANYO HIT (Heterojunction with Intrinsic Thin Layer) solar cell is certainly a ‘HIT’ around the off grid living community.
It is arguably the very best Sanyo Photovoltaic Module yet, and it is certainly one of the best we have tested for living off the grid.
It is composed of a single thin crystalline silicon wafer surrounded by ultra-thin amorphous silicon layers. This product provides industry leading performance and value using state of the art manufacturing techniques.
Posted in Living Off The Grid Solar Panels by .
Feb 11
15
DC Refrigerator DC Freezer
Save on costs with a DC Refrigerator or DC Freezer.
It is the very best way use this appliance while living off the grid.
These highly energy efficient units with exceptionally low energy consumption require a smaller, less expensive power systems and low operating expense. Solar DC Refrigerators are even possible with these units hooked up to a simple solar panel setup.
Most of these units will run on a single 75 watt solar panel in most climates!
Posted in DC Refrigerator/ DC Freezer Living Off The Grid Solar Panels by .
Feb 11
12
Off The Grid Living
For the past 16 years our family has been living off the grid with only solar and wind power to run our home.
Back in 1994 we began a search to find alternative energy options that we could afford. We had to because we had no other options.
It was really a matter of time and money, you see we had lots of time and … you guessed it, no money. So we found ways to build a wind generator and even found free solar panels for our home.
For many years we have tried to come up with the definitive answer to the question, “What does Living Off The Grid really mean to us?”
Yes, there is the energy savings from using renewable energy sources, wind generators we built ourselves and solar panels. There is the garden of course. And our off grid home too…
But, when everything is measured we have to say that encounters with the wilderness all around us is what means the most. There have been many things that we have been passionate about through the years, but none compares to the wilderness.
Granted you can live off the grid right in the middle of the city, but
Posted in Homesteading Homesteading in the Wilderness Living Off The Grid Off Grid by .
For many years we were under the impression that gardening was something that you did only in the summer, but living off the grid has taught us that is not the case.
The fall garden is now our favorite and this year is no different.
The sun of fall is still strong enough to mature broccoli, cabbage and our personal favorite chinese cabbage (or napa).
Of course all of the root crops are still growing nicely too… carrots, turnips, rutabagas, parsnips (which we overwinter and eat in the spring, they are best this way). Our homestead off grid garden is best described as
Posted in Gardening Homesteading Living Off The Grid Off Grid by .
Living off the grid is not always easy, but the stress is usually imposed by ourselves, rather than the environment we live in.
This past summer has been rather hectic and stressful for Jane and I at our off grid home. It is not a matter of things we created ourselves but reactions from friends and family to our new found confidence with our choice of living off the grid.
Posted in Gardening Living Off The Grid Off Grid Home Off Grid Tips by .
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