Using off grid solar power has gotten a lot easier now, with recent improvements in technology and an increased concern about the environment.

Once limited to people who lived in remote places where electricity was either expensive, inconvenient, or impossible, off grid homes are now moving closer to civilization. Taking your home off the municipal power grid is less expensive and easier than it has ever been, and solar power is the most common way to do it.

In a setup like this, you will need:

• solar panels
• a regulator
• batteries

An inverter allows you to use AC power instead of DC, and most systems have computerized control centers to make it easy to monitor what’s going on in your system. Whether or not your home is right for off grid solar power will depend on your location and how your home is situated.

It is important to be able to get enough hours of sunlight per day to charge your batteries with all the power you need.  In southern latitudes with mostly clear weather, this can be pretty easy. However, farther north, or where there is often a lot of cloud cover, this can be trickier.

Before you start installing an off grid solar system you should evaluate if your home receives enough sunlight to merit one. If not, you may wish to look at other sources of green power, such as wind.

There’s a limit to how much power can currently be produced from the sun. Solar panels are costly and you need plenty of space.  This means that most people in off grid situations need to carefully monitor their usage to make sure that they are not overtaxing the system. When you’re off the grid and you’re out of power, you’re really out of power, after all.

However, most people are able to reduce their power requirements to the point where they can meet their energy production and they always have plenty of stored energy for their daily routines.

Off grid solar power is a great choice if you want to be more self reliant, are concerned about the sustainability of your power generation, or if you just want to be able to control things a little more.

It will save you money in the long run, though initial setup can be costly. You won’t have to worry about rate hikes or inconsistent service.  It’s all in your hands.  In return, you must learn to take care of your system and adjust your life accordingly.  For many people, it’s worth it.