When we went off-grid, it was not the original plan – in part because it can be scary doing something so new and different, but also it’s a huge learning curve. Being off-grid can provide you with a lot more freedom of who comes on your land and it puts that power back in your hands – not to mention it’s way more eco-friendly. We’ve learned a lot from our experience with implementing an all-in-one solar power system. Hopefully, we can help guide your way as you embark on an off-grid journey.
1. Get the All-In-One Solar Power System
This might seem like it’s obvious, but all the components that are part of an all-in-one solar power system can be purchased separately. It is much easier to get an all-in-one solar power system that is all together and includes the charger, charge controller, and inverter. It’s easier because it shows you everything on one screen with one warranty, one company, and one customer service team instead of three and having to play guesswork between the three different components.
2. Name Brands Only
Jonathan was an electrician so he has enough of a background going into this that we thought we could do it inexpensively by getting lower tier products. After multiple returns due to product failures and even one of our panels catching on fire we realized we needed to lean into the name brands that came well-recommended. You can learn about all of the products we use here.
3. U.S. Based Customer Service
Even with Jonathan’s background as an electrician, he still ran into problems. There’s not a whole lot of information publicly available online. The first couple systems we tried had international customer support that was very challenging to explain and understand the problems across the cultural barrier. He had a much better experience and felt at ease with the U.S. based customer service for the final product we got.
4. Follow the Instructions
It’s so easy to think you can figure it out on your own and skip over the instructions and maybe you can for that Ikea desk, but not for the all-in-one solar power system. For example, sometimes you need a certain wire size and missing that vital detail can impact the whole system – if not immediately in the short term potentially in the long term as your needs and power usage grows.
5. Budget for an Inverter Generator
One of those important “follow the instructions” examples is that some all-in-one solar power systems need a special inverter generator that will feed it clean energy. If you ever plan on having a generator to assist with power or back you up in an emergency (which is definitely something you should consider planning for) then you’ll want to budget for this additional investment.
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