There is a strange romanticism to the sound of the words “off-grid solar” – a feeling of freedom, of braveness, of rebelling against electrical companies who believe you are helpless without them. And so, every now and then, a brave soul asks us about going off-grid with solar panels.
Now, there is no question about the capability of solar panels. They can certainly power any off-grid home – they’re even powering extra-terrestrial rovers and zillions of satellites that aren’t connected to any grid. But the question really isn’t about what’s possible but what’s feasible. Let’s discuss why off-grid solar isn’t the most feasible option in most cases.
Going Off-Grid With Solar Panels – An Expensive Affair
A fully off-grid solar power system that can power a typical home without relying on the grid can cost multiple times more when compared to a simple, grid-connected system. With a grid-tied system, you can use grid power at night, when your solar panels are inactive. In an off-grid system, on the other hand, you would need a significantly large battery storage system to store the solar energy and use it at night or on cloudy days.
Speaking of cloudy days, you cannot just design your system based on your daily usage when going off-grid. You need to oversize your system so that your home or cabin-in-the-woods will have enough energy to run everything even when the sun doesn’t show itself for a few consecutive days.
And as mentioned earlier, your battery system needs to be much larger to hold all this energy that can power your home for multiple days. Even on sunny days, most of your energy consumption happens in the evenings and early mornings, so you will be storing pretty much all of your system’s energy every day and essentially relying on the batteries.
But that doesn’t end there. You may also need a petrol or diesel generator for additional backup.
In short, you can expect to spend anywhere between two to four times more money if you want to go off-grid. Considering the average system cost of a grid connected solar power system is $10,000, you would need to pay at least $40,000 for a fully functional off-grid system. That is a lot of money, especially to own the tag of being ‘off-grid’ or to just make a point.
What About the People Who Do Go Off-grid With Solar?
Yes, there are people who live off-grid with a solar panel and battery system. And these can be put in two categories. The first category is those who live away from the grid, and bringing the grid to their location is ridiculously expensive – so much so that even the pricey off-grid solar power system looks more cost-effective.
Building a new grid (or a part of it) is no joke – it involves land levelling, setting up poles, installing transformers and distribution panels, drawing cables and finally connecting it to your home.
If your home lies a few hundred metres from an existing distribution panel, you’re lucky and it will cost only a few hundred dollars to get you power. But if you are in a more remote location, it will cost a fortune, with about $25,000 per km for new power lines plus high voltage extension and transformers at $4000 to $5000.
In some cases, the cost can be as high as $100,000 or more. Obviously, getting a solar power system and several modern solar batteries is a far better option.
The second category of people who go off-grid is of those that call themselves ‘survivalists’. People who believe that not being associated with a grid is more important, even though it costs them tens of thousands more, with the same questionable logic that makes them believe that the government is controlling our minds and that an apocalypse is coming and/or there will be civil wars and only those with 3,000 cans of food and a ridiculously expensive off-grid system will survive it!
Conclusion: Should You Go Off-Grid?
There is a certain beauty to going fully off-grid, but that beauty is often not worth the cost. As long as you’re not a time traveller from 400 years ago, energy is an extremely basic necessity to you – something you cannot compromise on. And so, you would want to have an off-grid solar and battery system that is as reliable as the power grid. Sadly, the cost of such an endeavour is massive, and only makes sense if you do it to avoid an even greater cost, AKA bringing the grid to you.
If you have already made up your mind on living off-grid, go ahead and buy that gigantic solar panel and battery system. If not, we recommend striking a balance – opt for a slightly farther spot which still has a grid connection. Then get a grid-connected solar power system for a fraction of the cost and maximise your self consumption while reducing reliance on the grid. You can even add a battery to a grid-connected system, to ensure you use as much of your solar power as possible, and will keep the house powered during a black out, but still this type of system is still far cheaper than an off-grid system.
Lastly, like any other significant project, it’s best to consult experts before making a final decision. Use our platform to get three free quotes from reputable installers, to help you make this choice.
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