The only time fully off grid makes sense is when the cost of running utility power to a property is greater than the additional expense of going fully off grid, or if a person is hell bent on being completely independent. I looked into it when we built 5 years ago and it was right on the edge of “making sense” for the particulars of our build. The other issues here are that financial institutions and insurance companies will have nothing to do with truly off grid properties.
You don't have to go fully off-grid though. Building a 24/7 solar generator system to run just basics like a refrigerator and freezer that you would need during a power outage can have a payback of < ten years, which sounds like a lot, but what's the payback on a nat gas or propane back up generator ?
Not going down that rabbit hole. I’m referring more to the inherent inefficiencies of harvesting and burning fossil fuel as an energy source as opposed to harvesting and using electricity produced by renewable sources. There is also the “all your eggs in one basket” argument. EVERYTHING is reliant on fossil fuel, I prefer to be more diversified.
- if rolling blackouts hit the NorthEast during cold and mud seasons, I'll be to blame. Even with February 17th being a minimal production day at 3.4 kwh produced, I am currently breaking even with 206 kwh produced versus 194 consumed. We'll see if that holds for the next 10 days.
Having to and wanting to go Off-grid are different things. the REC has done nothing to endear me to them when they want to force me to pay $6000+ up front to allow me to connect our retirement house to their system. Especially when they state, “ if you were building your house this year, we’d connect you for free, but since you’re basically running a temporary service now until you build in 2026, we’ll charge you $11/ft each time we run a service.” And said service is 210 feet off the right of way. Each time. From that box, it’s $1200 each time for me to run from the meter, the first time to a camper service, the next time to the house main panel. I can install an off-grid solar system for the camper for not much more, $10500. And this will let me upgrade for a house in the future. Off Grid Solar Kits [OGK] | PLUS | MAX | PRO they don’t seem like an unreasonable option. add in a generac propane backup for $2000, And with wood as a primary heat, air source heat pump and a gas furnace backup with tankless propane hot water… Heat pumps, already on the rise in rural Minnesota, get boost from new state law | Energy News Network all in for less than $18,000. natural gas heat now is costing us $87/month annually on the budget plan with Xcel and $280/ month for REC electricity. dad is buying about 450 gal propane a year for a similar sized house. Estimated propane is $1100/year vs $1044/year for natural gas we currently pay Minnesota Weekly Heating Oil and Propane Prices (October - March) water would be connected to Rural water, so there’s no concern for a well system for power demands. would seem to me, after 4-5 years, I’m paying myself for any future energy needs, not the REC. many shop demands could be handled for like a welder, air compressor etc by alternative generators. Minnesota House passes bill requiring carbon-free electricity by 2040 we learned the weekend before we closed on the property, a new solar/wind farm was granted PUC approval for construction. Our property (blue dot on the bottom of the white strip by T21) falls into the middle of the wind farm.
Looks like you've put a whole lot of work into understanding your future needs and breaking down your costs. I've seen those ads for the DIY off-grid solar systems and wondered if they are really good. You should qualify for the fed tax credit too. I wonder what the different colors mean on the wind farm map (some are white, some yellow and some orange).
towers that had to be relocated or changed in some form from the original permit application. Reds were taken out and yellow relocated. That’s why I asked if anyone has done this on their own. If these numbers are true,… solar as an option for a rural homestead is now actually a viable option. here’s a review of some of said panels.
That right there would be another advantage of having a ground mounted system. Even with a ground mount, there would be some snow removal involved, I'm sure, but wouldn't have to climb the roof to remove it. If you have to replace the roofing, the whole system has to be removed?
One solar rep I talked to actually mentioned something along that line of thought to me. He said something like... You're not getting solar for yourself, you're getting it for whoever ends up with your house as it takes to long to recover the costs. Maybe was just speaking in my case.
