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  • Anyone living off-grid ?

    Hi folks,

    Just wondering if anyone is living off-grid or wants to learn how ?

    I am a long time off-gridder and live in a solar cabin I designed and built myself. I have a 350 watt system that powers water pump, lights, tvs, stereo dvd, laptop and misc gadgets. I use propane for major appliances.

    I also use a solar composting toilet of my own design, solar air heaters and solar oven. I raise rabbits, chickens and a garden for most of my food.

    Is anyone else off-grid and if so describe your set up please ?

    LaMar
    www.simplesolarhomesteading.com

  • #2
    LaMar, you can count me as a off grid solar homestead. No more power outages for me. I also am happy to promote off grid living.

    Comment


    • #3
      did any of you off gridders get any type of federal incentives with your system? i've read people saying you don't get them for off grid, but after reading all the paperwork regarding the incentive, I can't find where it says it does not apply to off grid. it just points out the incentive is for people producing electricity for their property.

      Comment


      • #4
        Nathan, People that go off grid are not really interested in Federal Incentives. We really don't care much about incentives. Our main incentive is we have no electric bills. That is the best feature of being off grid. Think about this! How much are you paying for unreliable electric power a month? A year? For the last 20 years. Do you know that the cost of electric power is going up and up each year? More and more people are going off grid. Independence is easy once you set your mind to it.

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by NathanGarcia View Post
          did any of you off gridders get any type of federal incentives with your system? i've read people saying you don't get them for off grid, but after reading all the paperwork regarding the incentive, I can't find where it says it does not apply to off grid. it just points out the incentive is for people producing electricity for their property.

          Anyone can get the fed solar rebate but must be installed by a professional. I am a solar subcontractor and installed my own. I also do installs for others or will give guidance for homeowners to install their own and sign off so they get the rebate. You may need a certified electrician to do check and final connection in some areas.

          LaMar
          www.simplesolarhomesteading.com

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          • #6
            Hi LaMar, It is good you are here. You can be a great help to these lost solar newbees. Again I think we off grid folks should be helping people get off grid instead of paying for electric power for the rest of their lives, not to mention power outages of the grid are happening more and more. In Florida we are entering the power outage season, or huricane season as some call it. Life is good off grid. We don't see yearly increases in cost of electric power. Again LaMar I am happy to see you here....Jim

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            • #7
              Any US taxpayer with equivalent earned income can claim the federal credit for solar! You can not claim "your" labor to install your system. You can add on and claim the credit every year that it is available. I started living offgrid and doing this nearly 18 years ago.

              After this long it would be very, very hard to give up the independence of living offgrid. The stars at night, the people, and the sound of a pine needle hitting the ground.
              "we go where power lines don't"
              [url]http://www.sierratel.com/offgridsolar/[/url]

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              • #8
                Off Grid In The Texas Hill Country

                WE are still in the building process. But Totally off the Grid. It has been an adventure. Of course just the move from Alaska to Texas was an adventure enough. After we bought our property the local electric coop convinced us with there 15,000 estimate that we should go off grid.
                I look forward to conversing here
                Tight Lines , Alaska

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by alaska View Post
                  After we bought our property the local electric coop convinced us with there 15,000 estimate that we should go off grid.
                  seems like a good reason to me!

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                  • #10
                    Yeah and that would have been for an above ground installation which would have really sucked . WE have a great view and are happy we did not have a bunch of poles and wires put up.

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                    • #11
                      Originally posted by alaska View Post
                      Yeah and that would have been for an above ground installation which would have really sucked . WE have a great view and are happy we did not have a bunch of poles and wires put up.
                      I need to get y'all to where you can stop running that generator at night so you have a nice view =and= less noise.
                      Julie in Texas

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                      • #12
                        Hey Julie,
                        Well a little wind goes a long way. Yesterday was one of our rare generator free days. And this morning we were pushing as much as 28volts. These are the kinda days we were expecting a little more of a mixture of wind and sun.
                        Hopefully now that we are getting full use of the array and of course it is hump day, longer days a coming, we will be able to limit the use of the generator to times of high use, dishwasher, yada, yada, yada

                        "I need to get y'all to where you can stop running that generator at night so you have a nice view =and= less noise"
                        All it takes is a little cash. I keep planting pennies but so far none have sprouted into money trees

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by alaska View Post
                          Hey Julie,
                          Well a little wind goes a long way. Yesterday was one of our rare generator free days. And this morning we were pushing as much as 28volts. These are the kinda days we were expecting a little more of a mixture of wind and sun.
                          Hopefully now that we are getting full use of the array and of course it is hump day, longer days a coming, we will be able to limit the use of the generator to times of high use, dishwasher, yada, yada, yada

                          "I need to get y'all to where you can stop running that generator at night so you have a nice view =and= less noise"
                          All it takes is a little cash. I keep planting pennies but so far none have sprouted into money trees
                          You still need to get closer to 30 volts -- that's when =I= will be happy.

                          Also, we need to find out how many KWh those big loads are using -- that'll let you decide when to do them better. You have about 5KWh total usable capacity in those batteries, but only when they are FULL. Let's see some "Absorb" time on the array, figure out what the big appliances use, and you may be able to do those chores without the generator.
                          Julie in Texas

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                          • #14
                            Interesting topic, living off-grid. I have been reading a Solar book, that has exercises in it to determine your load, #batteries, array, etc., etc.

                            Admittedly, I may have screwed the calculations, but just to get enough power to run my furnace (16 amps) & tv/stereo (2 amps)at the same time (for 3 days (no sunshine)), was going to require an extraordinary amount of batteries/arrays 'just' for those two items.

                            I am guessing at least some of you 'off-gridders' have a forced-air furnace. I have to ask, how do you get that much power? Perhaps you will tell me to re-calculate, that I missed figured. Did I carry too many 'nots, or forget to divide a few 'nots'? (I know...a cheap shot at Jethro) Being able to run my furnace during power-outages (almost yearly during the winter) is something I would desire if I go thru the trouble/expense of solar.
                            Thanks
                            [url="http://solarpaneltalk.com/album.php?u=2072"]First panel 40 volts, 140+ watts[/url]

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by netttech View Post
                              Interesting topic, living off-grid. I have been reading a Solar book, that has exercises in it to determine your load, #batteries, array, etc., etc.

                              Admittedly, I may have screwed the calculations, but just to get enough power to run my furnace (16 amps) & tv/stereo (2 amps)at the same time (for 3 days (no sunshine)), was going to require an extraordinary amount of batteries/arrays 'just' for those two items.
                              Three days of "autonomy" is a really difficult goal. However, in your case, your furnace makes it a really impossible goal. The TV / Stereo isn't doing you any favors either.

                              My furnace is an 85% efficiency Lennox natural gas job. It takes a LOT less than 16 amps to run. And that includes less than 16 amps at 48 volts You can't have these huge power consumers and expect to go off-grid. You also can't just leave things "On" because you like the sound of TV or a big stereo.
                              Julie in Texas

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