Solar Baby

posted by katlupe on Jan 9

In November we purchased two more solar panels and the equipment needed to FINALLY move them onto the barn roof. The barn roof gets the most sun all year long. If you study it as we have done over time you will see the areas of your property that get the most sun. We purchased two Kyocera solar panels from the alternative energy store. They did not have anything to mount them on the roof with though. My husband contacted their customer service and asked some questions and because our panels have been purchased over a period of ten years they are not all uniform in size, so nothing they had would work for us. The customer service rep was very rude with my husband on the telephone and wanted us to replace the older panels we had with new ones so they would be the same?????? Now what kind of advice is that? Must be in sales! He lost their company a sale that turned out to be over $600.!!! Which is what we spent at Affordable Solar for the roof racks.

These panels will give us almost double the power we have presently. They are Kyocera KC85T 85W 12V so will give us 170 more watts for a total of 350 watts of power. Plus putting them up on the barn roof will mean our panels will be have longer periods of sunshine even in the dark days of winter here in upstate New York. Unfortunately, our roof racks did not get shipped very fast from Affordable Solar and then all the parts came except for the parts that needed to go on the roof first. So by the time those parts came……our weather turned bitter cold and now we have our usual amount of snow and ice. So that is on hold and our two brand new solar panels are in our barn waiting for the much wished for January thaw.

We Purchased the Clicksys roof mounting system manufactured by Unirac.  Here is a link to it and no, I am not an affiliate of their’s. Just a customer.

http://www.clicksys-beam.com We wanted our panels to be secure on the barn roof as it is a high roof. On Unirac’s web site they said that the connections are secured with just a click and it completely eliminates the bolts and nuts you would normally have to use. Cuts out at least forty percent of the labor that the other types of roof racks need done. My husband was all for that! Saved time as well and he wants to get them up there and quick as possible as he does not relish the thought of doing all that work on the barn roof. On their site they say, “The new innovative design of CLICKSYS™ offers the most cost effective flush mount solution in the residential marketplace. Pricing starts as low as 10 cents per watt. Save time and money with the most revolutionary PV mounting system in the world!” My husband is building a front porch on the barn which will have have a walkway above it to clean off the panels when leaves or snow accumulates on them.

The Google campus in California had  9,000 panels to rack and a variety of roof styles to deal with so they had Unirac perform a custom engineering analysis of the site to make sure that the product they chose would work best for each of the individual roofs.  So a non-penetrating racking system was used for the standing-seam roofs which Unirac was able to provide. I like the idea of it being non-penetrating on my barn.

Copyright © 2010 Kathleen G. Lupole
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posted by katlupe on Oct 3

I belong to a couple off-the-grid forums. Recently a person posted about wanting to know exactly how to locate off-the-grid property. I have written about this in my book, My Homesteading Journey, but thought maybe I need to add a little more detail as well as update the information. The thing we did was to look for “don’t wanter” types of properties as we call them. Meaning the seller doesn’t want the property anymore and wants to sell it very badly. Plus there is something about the property that makes in not able to get financing through a bank or mortgage company. That in turn, makes the seller have to hold the mortgage for you.

The next thing to look for is the type of contract you want with the seller. There are several ways to go about that. Rent to own is one of the most popular. That usually means that a portion of your rent goes toward your down payment. I am not real familiar with that type of deal so you would have to research it a little on your own. It may depend on your area of what it entails. Our homestead was a hunting camp, off the grid, no plumbing, no bathroom, house needing work and insulation, no telephone wires, on a dirt road and very secluded. No bank would touch it. So in order to sell it the sellers either had to wait for an all cash deal or finance it themselves. I wrote up a proposal and they changed a couple of things and we worked it out and got it.

Hunting camps are ideal for the modern homesteader or for someone just wanting to be off the grid. Living off the grid is not for everyone. If you and your family agrees on it that is fine. But if one person in your family balks at the idea then it may not be a good choice for you family. Or if you have plenty of money or are able to take out a loan to purchase your equipment that is one thing. I am talking about frugal living here so I can’t comment on that aspect.

You can easily move into a home that is not hooked up to the power grid and make it doable until you can add your first components. A generator could help with some of the things you need. Starting off you will need a way to cook, a way to get water, a way to heat your home if it is cold or for when it turns cold, lighting, a way to keep your food cold and a way to bathe and wash laundry. I think I have them all covered there.

When we moved here in 1999 we had already bought several things in advance and one of them was our Jewel Wood Cookstove. We bought her at a antique shop and had installed her in the house we were living in. So I learned how to use her before our move. Another item we bought was a wood heating stove that we were able to use in that house also. I had never been around wood stoves and had to learn everything. From starting fires, to keeping the fire going, how to bank it back for the night, what to do when it got too hot (besides scream!), cleaning the chimney, how to gather kindling for starting the fires, how to get firewood, how to split it (three jobs I happily gave to my hubby!) and I even learned how to cook on my heating stove as well. Still do that to this day!

Now for lighting, we were hoping we would have an off the grid house but wasn’t sure we could find one. So we started buying kerosene lamps in thrift stores and using them in the front room of our house at the time. We both loved them! Learned how to fill them, clean the chimney and trim the wick. So when we moved here and the first few years before we added electric lights we had 12 lamps and 2 lanterns. Our house was brightly lit! Even now we still have one or two but use the electric lights mostly……afterall, they are free. The lanterns we could hang on the front porch for a night light and my husband would carry one when he went out to give the horses their night hay.

This house it turned out was already set up with a pitcher pump out front for water, an outhouse, a Servel propane refrigerator, a propane cooking range and a huge Alaska wood stove. The chimney was not set up correctly and we could not use the heating stove till my husband put a new chimney in, but the items were in place. The house had no bathroom only an outhouse. So we bought an old claw foot bath tub from a junk shop and the downstairs bedroom quickly became our bathroom. We also had purchased a Sun Mar composting toilet which we used a few years then after reading the Humanure Book started using the famous sawdust toilet. One of the first things my husband did was to install drains so that we could use the bath tub and sink even without running water. I heated water on my stoves and poured the water into a sink or the tub and still do. Before he did that we did use a solar shower outside. But not good in cold weather so he quickly put in the drains. That made it so we could shower or take baths and use the kitchen sink. Washing dishes in dish pans and dumping the water outside was not a job I liked to say the least!

In the beginning we used the small propane tanks that are used for gas grills for our propane. We filled them at our local convenience store. Had 5 of them and would take the empty ones with us when we went to town. Did that for the first few years. Now our propane is hooked up to a big tank the propane company comes to fill it up. Like that convenience! Since we took out our refrigerator which I wrote about on a previous post we are using less propane. Eventually we will have the SunDanzer units but for the time being no money is being spent on refrigeration except for buying ice when it is hot out. Which is a short time here in NY state.

I hope this helps for people with questions on how to get started with finding that piece of property. Another thought I had is that you can contact a realtor, which is what we did. Tell the realtor what you are looking for. Many times they show you what they think everyone wants….not what you really want. They may have listings they don’t show much because they think it isn’t good enough. But once you get them to see what you really want………they may have many of those listings for you to choose from!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Aug 25

Your off-the-grid home depends on batteries for your electrical power and that is why you definitely need a battery system monitor. It is a major component needed for your alternative energy system. I know we did not have our meter in the beginning but as soon as were able to add it to our system it made maintaining it so much easier. The one we bought is called The TriMetric Model 2020. We purchased it in 2004 and it ran about $190. at that time at Backwoods Solar. I believe that included all the hardware with it.

You can use it to teach your family how much energy different electrical appliances use.  You can plug in a mixer for instance, and then watch your TriMetric meter to see how much power is being used when it is turned on. That way you will be able to judge if it is worth keeping that mixer or buy a more efficient one or add another solar panel.

It will also help you in checking that all your power loads are really off. Sometimes you might have something still on and not know it. Of course, in my own home we have everything off if our inverter is off. Eventually, that will change and our inverter will be on all the time. Right now the only thing we have on all the time is a string of lights like Christmas type ones that are hooked directly to our batteries.

A meter also helps you locate the “phantom loads”. I think everyone knows now what that is……small loads that come from your computers, televisions, radios, stereos, telephones, anything that has a clock or anything that is lit up when it is not being used. You do not want them saping your power! I have none of those items in my house. My printer comes on when we turn our inverter on in the morning and we quickly turn it off before even turning our laptops on. I only turn the printer on when I am using it and off as soon as I am finished.

How do you know how much energy is left in your system? We have to watch this very closely as NY does not get a fair amount of sun. For us it means we have to run our generator to charge our batteries. You do not want to let your batteries get depleted. It also helps when you are running the generator to know when to turn it off because the batteries are approaching full charge. Don’t want to let them get undercharged and don’t want to overcharge them either!

Batteries need critical care. So your meter will help you maintain and care for them by knowing when to  turn on your generator to avoid damage from letting them completely discharge. It will also allow you to check that your charging systems are definitely charging to the correct voltage for the longest battery life. Not to mention that it reminds you to not let your batteries go too many days between a full charge.

As you can see this little meter becomes a very essential tool in putting together your alternative energy system. Any system problems usually will show up on your meter. You will be able to monitor the solar arrays, inverter and charge controller to make sure they are correctly charging at proper rates and voltages. If your batteries are not holding the energy properly you will know that immediately.

Our TriMetric meter is right on our wall in our living room. We can see it from our desks. If anything is not right my husband knows immediately as he checks it constantly. It is best to stay on top of all things involving your system as your equipment is not cheap and can be damaged easily by not monitoring it. Hope this helps and gives you an idea of why you need this little meter for your alternative energy system.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Aug 18

If you are planning on changing over to an off-the-grid energy system, the first thing I would recommend is to start cutting your electrical power usage. Of course, the main energy hogs are the ones that use heat, such as electric heaters, electric hot water, electric stove and oven and the electric clothes dryer. Air conditioning, as well. These appliances use huge amounts of your electric power, eating up your watts as soon as they are turned on. Switching to propane or natural gas for water heating, home heat, cooking and clothes drying, along with more efficient refrigerators and freezers will offer much savings.  For an air conditioning alternative, there is evaporative cooling systems. Changing to these appliances will instantly cut off more than three quarters of what you usually use while teaching you how to get started.

Screw in light bulbs should be mostly compact fluorescent lights which use about one quarter the power of regular bulbs while giving the same brightness and color. Replace your big desk top computers with laptops. They use much less power. We run 2 laptops over 12 hours a day on very little power. A desk top (actually it is the monitors) uses as much in a few hours, as our’s do in a week. The monitors are what you have to watch though they have come out with more energy efficient desk tops and monitors now. Check them very carefully.

Newer gas cooking ranges have what is called a “glow bar” in the oven. It uses electricity, so even if your power is out you can’t use the oven.  This is an electric red-hot glow-bar pilot in the oven that consumes 400 watts all the time the oven is used! Instead, look for one of two types of pilot light ovens. An oven with regular gas flame pilot light is the simplest. Better is an oven pilot that lights by electric spark when the oven is started and goes off when the oven is finished. Propane or natural gas stoves with gas pilot lights need no power connection at all.

Another option would be no options! Yes, that’s what I did when purchasing my brand new Premier propane range, It has no timer, no oven light, no light on top and no clock. You can purchase a seperate timer for a few dollars just about anywhere. And most people already have a clock in their kitchen anyway. Same with lighting. Remember you do pay for all those little options. And they are electric users.

I won’t go into the refrigeration as I went into much detail on that on my previous posts. Both mentioning the Sunfrost and the Sundanzer.

It goes without saying that another big saving for any household is to hang your laundry outside. I do that. Even in the snowy cold winter of New York state. It is no big deal to me.  You could use a gas dryer and that would give you some savings but of course there is the price of the fuel and it still does use some electricity as well.

The Staber washing machine is also built with the off the grid family in mind. It is a simply designed machine with under 200 watts running power. With only a larger surge at the start of the spin cycle which means that 165 watts per load is way less than any other regular washing machine uses. It’s a double plus as it uses less than half as much water per load as other machines as well. Spins faster than others too. That  gives you a savings in more energy in faster drying on the clothes line or in your dryer. So if you do alot of wash each week this is a very good option.

There are some appliances that consume your power twenty-four hours a day even when you think they are turned off. Televisions, stereos, office equipment, garage door openers and many, many others. These appliances, really need to turned off when you are not using them. By turned off, I mean the plug pulled out, or on a outlet strip that is turned off. Remember little things count when you are trying to cut your usage back or to switch over to your own alternative energy system. Now YOU are in charge!

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Aug 9

A charge controller is needed for your system. It is connected to your batteries and the inverter. Our charge controller in mounted on our wall. There are many different brands and types and it can get complicated. So I will do the best I can to explain some basics for you. It would be best to discuss your needs with the dealer of the brand you choose to purchase. First I will examine each type of controller available. You will need to decide what your future plans are and plan accordingly.

The series cycling charge controller is the easiest controller that averts the overcharging of the batteries by turning the solar panel’s current on and off based on the battery voltage. As the battery voltage rises to a preset point indicating that the full charge is nearly attained a mechanical relay or solid-state switch suddenly shuts off the charge. Simple! But if the battery voltage begins to fall…..if it gets low enough it will make the controller go back on. Battery voltage rises again and the cycle continues. On and off…… This results in battery voltage averaging somewhere between the high and low set points and that prevents your batteries from overcharging.

The constant voltage charge controller is most often what is considered 3-stage. What is 3-stage? A more precise control which gives you the  most charging that is possible for that day.

Bulk charge is the first stage. This is when the power is switched straight through from the solar modules until the batteries reach the preset maximum.

Absorption charge is the second stage. This is when the maximum battery voltage is held by reducing the charge current…….. enough to never exceed the target voltage. Reduced current is high speed on and off pulsing……when controlling on time versus the off time of each pulse determines the average charge current.

Float charge is the third stage. And this is when the battery voltage is reduced after the charge is completed. Avoids excessive evaporating of battery water and will extend your battery’s life. If you are using sealed maintenance-free, AGM or gel type batteries – then the three stage with float would be the safest method of charge controlling for you.

A Diversion charge controller does not mean that it is cut off from the charging source at all. What it means is that the battery charges to the maximum set voltage. Then the diversion control senses that voltage  which in turn causes it to absorb the excess current. That in turn will exactly off-set the excess charge. That will keep the battery voltage so it never goes over the preset maximum. This will be a small amount of heat in ceramic air heating resistors or water heating elements. Your control will adjusts its consumption rate to offset the excess charging exactly. Keeps the battery voltage at…. never exceeding the preset maximum voltage. When someone is  using a wind turbine or hydroelectric which does not have it’s own charge controller then they must use a diversion controller. Those particular  types of generators will be damaged by their charge not being absorbed into the batteries at all times. One diversion controller should handle the combination of solar, hydro and wind easily. Provided the total amps charged from all three together is within it’s amp capacity.

Our  charge controller is the Xantrex C-60 60 Amps, 12 volt and I think it sold for about $245. at Backwoods Solar in 2004. We have been very happy with it and have never had any kind of problem at all. Backwoods Solar will work with you, especially if you live off the grid! They have a great little catalog that is packed full of information. It is like a little encyclopedia for anyone that is trying to set up a system and they really go the extra mile if you know what I mean. Even if you live on the grid.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Jul 28

I covered information in my previous post about the SunDanzer solar refrigerators. They are the units I will be adding to my own off-the-grid homestead in the near future. But they are not the only choice you have. I feel that for me they are the only ones that will best suit my needs. For some people though, they are not going to be pleased with them after time. Due to the fact that they are built like the chest freezers. Many people did not like them. You can see that by the fact that many more people own the upright freezers. They did not like digging through the chest for their foods. I plan on right from the start using the movable racks and keeping things organized. It will be just my husband and me using them and we can be very organized.

The Sun Frost refrigerator and freezers are very efficient units that can even be utilized on a typical on-the- grid-home. The Sun Frost RF-19 and F-19 is much more quieter than the conventional AC refrigerators. It uses a quiet and highly efficient fan to cool the condenser. On the other Sun Frost Models the condensers are cooled passively. Their compressors are so much smaller which makes them produce less noise. Like I said on my previous post, I hate those noisey refrigerators so that would be an important point for me.

Since a refrigerator is one of the biggest energy hogs you can have on your energy system, whether on the grid or off, that is one place where you can cut down energy costs by replacing the one you have with the Sun Frost. No matter how energy efficient your present one is, this one is better! Not to mention how hot a conventional refrigerator can make your house in the summer time. It can be like having a 1000 watt heater running for five hours in your kitchen! I am not kidding! That is pretty hot if you ask me. That in turn, causes your air conditioner to run more to cool your house because of the refrigerator. So it will increase the cost of your refrigeration by an extra fifty percent!

In the cooling system of the Sun Frost there is a very small number of moving parts. The AC and DC compressors also are using highly reliable, hermetically sealed, brushless motors. Not to mention the extremely efficient thermal design which makes it a quality product you can count on. A top mounted cooling system which runs at a much lower temperature than conventional refrigerators extends the life of the system’s lubricants and minimizes the mechanical strain on the compressor. This cooling system should give you over 15 years of worry free usage.

The Sun Frost RF-16 DC model (12 volt) uses only about 20 KWH monthly or an average of 53 amp hours per day. Compare that to the conventional refrigerators which normally consume about 110 KWH per month or 305 amp hours daily. Now that’s a big difference! Not only will that eliminate the need for more solar panels, but the DC model also eliminates the need of using your inverter for it will run directly from your system.

The Sun Frost RF16 is an extremely efficient full-size refrigerator. It has two independent cooling systems and temperature controls. In fact, one compartment may be left running while the other is shut off. The uniquely designed cooling coils on the outside of the Sun Frost do not require fans. The Sun Frost RF16 may be mounted on a 13 inch high cabinet for maximum convenience.

These refrigerators do have to be defrosted……I KNOW what you are thinking! “Oh no! I thought those jobs were gone forever!” It’s not as hard as you think. Remember you are paying for the privilege of not defrosting your conventional refrigerator yourself. That automatic defroster is part of that BIG energy draw on your refrigerator. First of all, on the Sun Frost freezer the frost build-up is very slow since there is no air circulating between the freezer and refrigerator compartments. Ice forming in the freezer will usually be on the ceiling. So you can put your frozen foods in the refrigerator while you are defrosting the freezer. In about twenty minutes after you have turned it off the ice can be easily removed in large sections. The ice does not need to be melted to be removed. Very simple!

By maintaining high humid conditons the food will stay fresh longer. It also prevents your foods from that “freezer burn” that I hate so much. No wilting which is caused by water loss in your food which is usually what makes your food not stay fresh. So I’d say the food would last about two to three times longer than in the conventional refrigerators. In those refrigerators the water from the stored foods is what makes the ice on the freezer’s cooling coils. That is what causes the dehyydration of fruits and vegetables stored in your refrigerator. It also increases the energy draw and the frost build-up.

High humidity in conventional refrigerators is obtained by storing the food in airtight containers which is what actually creates the high humid conditions. But it does cut off the food’s oxygen supply and that is not good.  Without oxygen the plant cells can break down very rapidly and shortens it’s shelf life. With the Sun Frost you can store your foods in breathable containers such as paper bags or mesh type bags and that will more than double your foods’ life.

The Sun Frost is custom made and can be finished with a choice of a variety of laminates or wood finishes to suit your taste. The refrigerators are available in several different models and sizes and the cabinets can be ordered and  built to fit. It would be a wonderful addition to a off-the-grid homestead.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Jul 20

posted by katlupe on Mar 31

Since I have been living for ten years now in an off the grid home I have learned so much on how to conserve my power. In the fall and winter the time we call “dark days” of October, November and December it is essential to be very careful. Since we do not have what is called a “normal” house as of yet, many things that others take for granted I do not even own. So it is probably not that hard for me as it would be for someone else. Looking for energy efficient appliances should be the first thing you do when you are thinking about changing to your own system.

I am used to cooking on a wood cookstove, though I do have Premier Propane cooking range. What is so unique about mine is that it does not have any electrical parts. No timers, no lights, not even a oven light, no clock and most especially no “glow-bar”. Now what is a “glow-bar”? It is the reason so many people cannot use the oven in their gas cooking ranges when there is a power outage! It uses electricity, so even if your power is out, you can’t use the oven. This is an electric red-hot glow-bar pilot in the oven that consumes 400 watts all the time the oven is used! Instead, look for one of two types of pilot light ovens. An oven with regular gas flame pilot light is the simplest. Better is an oven pilot that lights by electric spark when the oven is started and goes off when the oven is finished. Propane or natural gas stoves with gas pilot lights need no power connection at all.

Ordinary AC refrigerators and freezers run on over 200 watts AC, and run many hours a day. Most have less than 2 inch insulation. Fortunately, special refrigerators and freezers are available which use less than 30% as much energy. Sunfrost refrigerator products have 4- to 6-inch insulation, and a quality compressor on top where it can’t put heat back into the box. The RF-12 model runs 50 watts for 12 hours a day, totaling 600 watt hours a day. Compare that to the standard models which use around 3000 watt hours each day. Just think how that would cut that electric bill down!

It goes without saying that another big saving for any household is to hang your laundry outside. I do that, and even in the snowy cold winter of New York state. It is no big deal to me, and I admit to liking the way my home looks with my laundry hanging on the line. You could use a gas dryer and that would give you some savings, but of course there is the price of the fuel, and it still does use some electricity, as well.

The Staber washing machine is also built with the off the grid family in mind. But what a savings for the family on the grid as well! It is a simply designed machine with under 200 watts running power, with only a larger surge at the start of the spin cycle. Which means that 165 watts per load is way less than any other regular washing machine uses. It’s a double plus, as it uses less than half as much water per load as other machines as well. Spins faster than others, saving more energy in faster drying on the clothes line or in your dryer. So if you do alot of wash each week, this is a good way to save on the electric bill every month. I have purchased a brand new energy star model made by Whirlpool under the name of Cabrio and it uses so little power that we don’t have to run the generator to operate it. It goes without saying that these energy efficient appliances are a little pricey. But worth every penny!

There are some appliances that consume your power twenty-four hours a day, even when you think they are turned off. Televisions, stereos, office equipment, garage door openers and many, many others. These appliances, really need to turned off when you are not using them. By turned off, I mean the plug pulled out, or on a outlet strip that is turned off. Remember little things count when you are trying to cut your usage back. Even if you never go off the grid but just dream about it, changing your appliances is a change that could really impact your usage and bills.

Copyright © 2009 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Dec 4

Setting up your solar system is not as easy as putting your solar panels in the sun and plugging them in. Too bad as many more people would want to do it then. You have to study your house and property to see where exactly you need to put the panels. When we first moved here we only had one panel. So we could go outside and move it around to follow the sun. That’s okay when you are starting out. Not if you have more than one or two though. It can get tiring after doing it every day in all kinds of weather. You wouldn’t want the panels to get blown over due to the wind or a storm. We were lucky when we got hit by an in line tornado in 2000. We had about six trees down on our house, but no damage. Most important was that there was no damage to our lone solar panel which was on the side of the house the trees hit. Didn’ get touched though.

A tool that can help you decide where your panels should go is called the Solar Pathfinder
It will give you the sun potential for the whole year! Good to use for setting up a garden as well. It also has software that you can purchase to help you in accessing your solar energy needs called the Solar Pathfinder Assistant Software

You really need the sun as much as you can get it. Our sun here in upstate New York is not as dependable as other places in the country. We are hardly getting any right now (December). We plan on putting our solar panels on top of our barn roof hopefully next year. If we were just setting this up though and had this handy tool, we would have just seen from the start that the place to put them was up there. My husband has observed every hour, every day, every month, every year that the place to put them would be the barn roof. It gets sun consistently.

Here’s the information you need to check it out. It is essential to use the if you are building a new home and plan to set up a complete alternative energy system. Tell me what you think about it.

Copyright © 2008 Kathleen G. Lupole

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posted by katlupe on Dec 2

The only problem with solar energy in New York state is that we don’t get as much sunshine as the other states. You have to add up the wattage of every appliance you need or want to use and then double that for our state. That tells you how many watts worth of solar panels you need to buy. That can and does add up the bucks right there! There are many people who have built their own. In our case we just buy them little by little. But for the people who just have to have it all right away, and there are many people like that. It’s nothing to be embarrassed by, but some people can sacrifice for the big payoff at the end and some just can’t. Here is where the idea of building the panels yourself come in. Solar, Wind, Batteries, Bio-Diesel And Home-Making Components!

If you are handy I think that would be a good idea. I am thinking of having my husband give it a go. As then we could get the two panels more we need to buy the SunDanzer solar refrigeration and freezer. As we all know the most expensive part of off the grid living is building your system so if you are going to be able to build at least some of your components then it becomes much more doable for the common person like us.

We all see the rich and famous adding solar to their mansions. Yeah, they can do it with no problems. Just pay someone big bucks to come in and switch them over. Then the regular every day people like us say, ” Hey you have to be rich to have solar. I can’t afford what Darryl Hannah can.” But you can if you work it right. Start small and build it. That is what I have done. You should have seen the tiny little charge controller we started with! And an automotive inverter from Walmart. Not even forty bucks at the time. But we had tv! That was all we had. And we were happy with that……..then.

Copyright © 2008 Kathleen G. Lupole

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