One Year Off Grid. Zero Use of Generator!
The winter solstice is special for most solar power enthusiasts because it marks the last day of increasing darkness and a return to the days of more and more precious sunlight each day. For my wife and me, this winter solstice in 2025 is especially meaningful because it marks the first anniversary of the last time we needed electricity from any source other than a solar panel.
We have been 100% off grid with no connection to the power company since we bought this property and constructed the first building (the "barnpartment", or "main building"). We installed 6.4KW of ground mounts (two strings in late September 2024) and that supplied most of the power we needed until the days started to get shorter. When we added another 3.2 KW string as vertical panels in November that helped considerably. But it wasn't until the last 4 KW string of panels mounted to the 67-degree gambrel roof went live late on Dec 21, 2024 that we were able to supply all our electrical needs from the sun, and no other source.
Since those gambrel roof panels started producing power on Dec 22, the generator hasn't been used, because it just hasn't been needed. In fact, we haven't even come close to needing it, proving something important to us, and to a rather large group of friends and bystanders who told us that we would regret not connecting to the umbilical cord of dependency that the power company represents. They were wrong.
People often assume that we live like we're camping, but nothing could be further from the truth. We have heat pumps heating and cooling the upstairs apartment where we "live" (we actually use each of our six buildings, none of which have utility power, quite a bit) with no other source of heat for that space. Our domestic hot water comes from an electric heat pump water heater. We use an electric dryer for every load of laundry (albeit a heat pump type, because that technology now makes the most sense for anyone that needs a dryer). Our meals are cooked using a full size induction range with an electric oven and electric devices such as air fryers and crock pots, with the food stored in a full size, side-by-side refrigerator (plus an old "beer fridge" refrigerator down in the garage). We have more lighting in our ceilings than in any home I've ever been in, because I designed the building that way (I hate not having enough light when I need it). We stay connected to the outside world through an always-on Starlink connection and a router with multiple access points around the property, with a Home Assistant server, Hubitat automation device, and Lutron Caseta Pro hub powering one of the more connected and automated homes in the area. We stream all our entertainment through a decent-sized TV and Sonos speakers, and have multiple computers that are always on. So no, we're not camping, by any stretch of the imagination.
The 13.6KW of panels was just about the perfect size to power our property without needing to worry about our power needs or the state of charge of the 70 KWH of batteries, but they wouldn't be enough to power an EV if (when) we buy one, or to power the heating in the garage, which uses propane to heat the radiant slab (we hope to install an air-to-water heat pump for that one day, if the price for them ever becomes reasonable in the US). When the current government decided to end the federal tax credit for solar at the end of this year (a very stupid move, in my view) our accountant told us that if we were contemplating a larger PV system at some point in the foreseeable future, we'd be idiots to not install it now. We had two remaining, unused MPPT inputs on the inverters, so we purchased and I installed (yes, by myself) an additional two strings of 3.2KW each early this month as ground mounts, bringing our total system for this building up to 20KW. We didn't really "need" those yet, but we can now power "dump load" electric heaters in the buffer tank on sunny days, reducing our need for propane. The air-to-water heat pump would almost certainly eliminate the need for propane entirely. I'll write up a separate post about the dump loads, soon.
We may still need a generator at some point if we get a string of truly miserable weather, so we still keep not just one, but two fully functional, fueled, tested-often generators ready to go. We're not idiots, and my motto remains "two is one, one is none." But we haven't needed them for one minute over the past year, and that feels GREAT. It proved something to us, and to more than a few people in our community. Let's see what the next year brings.
Finally, some folks may think this post is bragging, but that’s not my intent. I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished but I truly think almost anyone could do this, if they just put their mind to it. My goal is to help you realize that you CAN.