While grid defection may not make financial sense (yet) for those with access to cheap fossil-fueled electricity, a grassroots movement in that direction would be a very powerful incentive for power companies to take a more cooperative approach to distributed generation. Utility companies are acutely aware of this possibility.
To borrow a term from some other (baser) political discourse in recent memory, grid defection on a significant scale could cause a "death spiral" of higher costs to remaining ratepayers, which increases grid defection, rinse/repeat.
Off the grid features full#
For those of us in states where governments and/or utilities are fighting distributed renewable energy tooth and nail, some homeowners (well, at least one) consider "grid defection" a means of protest.Ī relatively small number of grid-connected homeowners choosing to forego electrical grid services will certainly send chills down the spines of utility company execs, whose business models depend on full ratepayer participation. The importance of this topic extends well beyond the Northeast Kingdom and remote home sites. But if you are paying between 50 cents and $1 per kWh for your electricity (as is the case for most off-grid homeowners), a solar thermal system makes sense.Īn important topic for concerned ratepayers The bottom line: If you are paying between 8 cents and 24 cents per kWh for your electricity (as is the case for most grid-connected homeowners), a solar thermal system is a poor investment.
Off the grid features plus#
In that article, I wrote, "Solar thermal systems still make sense for off-grid homes."Īs well, it's worth noting that I explained in the article on this page ("How to Design an Off-Grid House") that "off-grid homeowners are willing to pay a much higher premium for energy efficiency than grid-connected homeowners, because an expensive energy-efficient appliance is still cheaper than a less efficient appliance plus the PV equipment needed to keep the appliance functioning." I think you are referring to my article titled Solar Thermal is Dead. If you live in a snowy region, ground-mounted arrays make snow removal easier than…
Off the grid features install#
If you have a large lot, you probably want to install a ground-mounted PV array. You can power your off-grid house with a micro-hydro system or a wind turbine if you want, but by far the most common way to generate off-grid electricity is with a PV system. That’s when you will be using your broom instead of your vacuum cleaner. But during a snowstorm in the middle of December, you’ve got to be careful about energy use. If weather forecasters predict three days of sunny weather in May or June, you can plug in extra hairdryers, do several loads of laundry, and vacuum the house. In Vermont, for example, a 1-kW PV system that produces 48 kWh of electricity in the month of December will produce three times as much electricity (145 kWh) in the month of May. But batteries and gas-powered generators (or propane-fired generators) are expensive, and those of us who live off the grid need batteries and generators - because the sun doesn’t always shine.ĭuring certain seasons, off-grid homeowners are likely to have an energy surplus. Sure, photovoltaic (PV) modules are relatively cheap.
This is due to simple economics: off-grid electricity is expensive - on the order of $0.50 to $1.00 per kWh. Off-grid homeowners have a much stricter energy budget than owners of grid-connected homes. To help this subset of builders avoid common design errors, I’ll share what I’ve learned from living in an off-grid house for 42 years. That said, North American designers of off-grid homes often end up posting questions on GBA. homes are off the electricity grid - far fewer, for example, than in Africa.
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