Living off the grid sounds like a dream come true. Doesn’t it? Imagine living in a world where you are no longer dependent on anyone for your home electricity; you are simply reliant on yourself. It feels good, right?
But is it actually possible to live off the grid?
Well, in this blog, we will shed light on this very intriguing question, and by the end, you will get to know whether or not solar power makes you self-sufficient or not.
So, without further ado, let’s dig in!
What does living off the grid mean?
Theoretically, living off the grid means you are not dependent on the local utility companies, who are responsible for supplying water, electricity, gas, and other everyday utility services to you. In this case, we are talking about electricity production and consumption in our home.
The public groundwork supporting these utility providers has been in place for hundreds of years and includes everything from production to transportation to distribution. Any kind of change to this system requires the authority’s permits and approvals so that the grid system remains stable.
But over the past decade, with the declining cost of solar panels, solar tax credit incentives by the federal, state, and local governments, and the immense power-saving financial benefits of solar energy, homeowners have switched to off-grid solar systems.
Technically, if we see it in the long term, it would eliminate the dependency on power companies, reduce the carbon footprints, and also be a big save on the pockets of the residents.
But this is just one side of the coin. There are so many other perspectives to consider, such as the legalities encompassing living off-grid, the benefits and drawbacks, and the additional requirements to make this project a success.
So, let’s discuss them one by one.
Benefits of living off the grid with solar power
Adopting an off-grid solar system lifestyle comes with its own set of advantages. Here they are:
Makes your home energy-self-sufficient
When you live completely off-grid, you get full control of your home energy. You become in charge of how much electricity you want your system to produce and store, which brings a higher sense of energy independence.
Reduces carbon footprints to a greater extent.
In an off-grid lifestyle, you are most certainly dependent on renewable sources to fulfill your needs. This means you are no longer dependent on fossil fuels, and your consumption of fossil fuels such as oil or coal becomes zero. Thus, you are indirectly reducing carbon footprints, encouraging a healthier environment, and making this planet a sustainable place for future generations.
Lowers the utility expenses.
There is no doubt that going solar helps you reduce your power bills and saves you a lot of money. What’s more, when you live with an off-grid solar system, you can regulate how much power you want to generate and consume. This way, you can lower your electricity bill as much as you want and live frugally.
Positive impact on health
Living off-grid allows you to contribute your cents towards nature. This gives you internal satisfaction and brings positive calmness to your mind. Moreover, if everyone would opt for a more sustainable, off-the-grid lifestyle, it would, in general, create a healthy environment to breathe in and live in.
Lower or no dependency
In the on-grid solar system, you are in charge of the solar power production and consumption. There is no involvement or interference from any third-party power supplier. Thus, it makes you self-sufficient.
Drawbacks of off-grid solar system
Living off the grid does have its own cons too which are:
No backup source of energy
While living off the grid makes you self-reliant, it also comes with the threat of being left in the dark if you run out of power in the event of a cloudy day, a long power outage, or extreme weather conditions. Contrary to this, an on-grid solar system gives you peace of mind around the clock.
Higher upfront investment
Setting up an off-grid solar system requires a significantly higher upfront investment than an on-grid solar system. The reason is that it requires sufficient solar panels to install and additional energy storage solutions to store power for 3–4 days in advance (just for the safer side).
Expensive to maintain
As we said earlier, in order to ensure that you never run out of power, you might need to invest in additional solar battery storage solutions, among others. This could result in spending more on your off-grid solar system than on-grid solar.
Ever-changing utilities
In the world of solar, especially when it comes to solar panels, utility companies are taking a shift towards cleaner energy. Slowly but steadily, they are taking sustainable steps. This will eventually reduce the blackouts, per-unit electricity cost, and carbon emissions.
What solar components are required to live off the grid?
Sometimes the homes are not built in a way to meet all your energy needs, which makes you self-reliant. In such a case, you need smart planning so that you can live entirely off the grid.
This includes an unhindered south-facing roof, a sufficient-sized solar power system with high-efficiency panels, solar panel insulation, and more.
Considering every possible situation, we have created a list of components that your home might need to generate adequate electricity to live off the grid.
Energy-efficient solar panels
As we said earlier, every home is built differently, with different dimensions and different roof angles. Consider a scenario where you have a perfect south-facing roof for a solar panel setup. Now, having this is not sufficient by itself.
You need to ensure that your PV system is capable enough to produce enough power when the sun is not shining or there is a long power outage. In such cases, you might need to go with highly sufficient but expensive monocrystalline solar panels. So, consider this thing while opting for an off-grid solar system.
Solar energy storage solutions
In an on-grid solar system, your PV system is directly connected to the power grid, ensuring you 24*7 hours of electricity. Off-grid, this is not the scenario.
To ensure that your home gets power around the clock, you would need to invest in reliable solar battery backup solutions. These solar batteries will store the excess power generated by the system, take care of your extra power needs, and make your home self-sufficient.
Additional solar equipment
In addition to efficient solar panels and reliable solar batteries, you would require additional solar components such as microinverters, controllers, wiring, safety devices, and more.
Usually, your solar panel company or solar installer takes care of these items, but if you are considering going the DIY route, you will need all of the above.
How much does an off-grid solar panel system cost me?
If you are planning on living off the grid completely with zero ties to local utility companies to make your home self-sufficient, then it could cost you a substantial amount of money. For starters, let’s say, it would take roughly between $35,000 and $50000 (on the lower side) and can go up to $100,000 (on the higher side).
But the good thing is that there are solar incentives and rebate programs by the federal and state governments. If you own the system, you can take advantage of a 30% rebate in the form of solar tax credits. So, don’t overthink it and go through the state and regional policies to get an approximate idea of how much you can lower the cost.
Is it legal to live off the grid with solar power?
One of the hottest topics of debate in the solar industry is whether or not living off the grid is legal. Before the off-grid solar system came into existence, there was no point of question about the disconnection from the local power providers.
But now that a lot of people are considering this alternative, they are curious if they might face legal issues while going off-grid. Well, with our research, we found mixed reviews about it.
As you all know, off-grid solar systems are a lifestyle in the majority of rural areas because of the distant location of the power distribution and transmission systems. In densely populated urban regions, this is not the case.
Many local authorities and building officials require their residents to follow the local building codes and area-specific power restrictions for safety reasons. Thus, you might need your solar system connected to the grid system. Failure to meet these compliances might result in penalizing you or even seizing your property in worst-case scenarios.
Usually, the advanced solar panel system, along with the solar batteries and solar microinverters, follows all the legal and safety compliances without needing them to connect with external power sources. So, you don’t need to worry about that. However, if you are using outdated models, then you need to re-examine the system.
So, the answer to the question is: is living off the grid with solar power legal? We would say yes, considering you have the necessary permits in your hand.
Final Words: Does living off the grid with solar power make you self-sufficient?
The world around the solar system is rapidly changing for obvious reasons, including the climate crisis and the ongoing financial benefits. That brings homeowners to a handful of ways to take advantage of these opportunities.
Going on and off the grid are two of the many ways. And both of them come with their own sets of pros and cons.
While on one hand, living on the grid gives you the mental satisfaction of continuous power, it has proven to be non-functional in the case of blackouts.
On the other hand, living off the grid with solar power makes you and your home self-sufficient, but it also comes with a significant upfront cost.
So, the moral of the story is yes, an off-grid solar system makes you self-sufficient, but you need to be ready for the challenges that come along with it.
