How to Live Off Grid in Reality

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SOLAR POWER ROCKS!

You know the saying. "Your back-up power is only as good as your heat-aged batteries." Or, wait, probably you have never heard that tidbit of wisdom. It only applies to people living in the tropics. Prior to owning a home in Caribbean, my understanding of electricity is that it looks really cool during a storm and precedes booming thunder. Oh! And the story with Benjamin Franklin and the kite. Since buying the casa, I have had a crash course in electrical systems. I understand so much more, but it is also very clear that I know practically nothing that would assist someone in putting together a solar fed back-up battery system. But, I know things like:


  • We have a 24-volt system which means we can only add 4 x 6-volt or 2 x 12-volt batteries. But, they can't get added at different times because of the rule of thumb I started this post with. Batteries age in the heat and humidity faster than I would ever have believed.  Each 6-volt 200 amp hour battery in our 4 battery system cost $85 and that's for lead acid batteries. Now we are looking to replace them with 2 x 12-volt 200 amp hour gel batteries. Each one cost $360. They hopefully last longer and don't have to be filled with distilled water every once in a while.
  • Our 6000 watt (4800 running watts) true sine wave inverter is smarter than me for sure. It knows when amps/volts are too high or too low and shuts off to protect the system. The solar panels can charge the batteries or the city power can. The inverter just needs these tiny pins moved into the right position. Unfortunately, along with the many lights and tiny levers/pins, it has some confusing buttons that seem counter intuitive that often get pushed by a well-meaning ghost who is never identified and that causes the whole system to stop working.
  • Speaking of inverters there is a slew of new appliances that incorporate this technology that can handle the ups and downs of the electrical stream feeding our house. This inconsistent power flow is what makes appliances stop working so quickly...not really the heat. 
  • Oh yeah. DC power vs AC power. Apparently every 'green' energy source produces DC power that then needs to be converted into AC for us to use. But, that means things like inverters are necessary. And solar and wind create varying degrees of free power, so you half to invest in charge controllers too. Takes quite a bit of money to harness free energy.
  • And, finally, I have learned that wire gauge ratings go down in number the fatter the wire is. Who knew?! 
That's about all I can tell you about electricity. But, that's oodles more than I used to know. I can almost comprehend when my husband starts talking about the electrical system in the house. It does worry me that should my husband have to travel back to the US and I have to be at the casa alone and something goes wrong...hmmm...let's see if my learning curve continues...








There are so many devices and switches. It makes me appreciate my amazing husband and his knowledge of...everything building related. But, the system means independence from electrical grid and a good feeling using the green energy from the sun.

Off Grid Living is a necessity not a choice in Dominican Republic, especially in a smaller town like Cabrera. (They are supposedly working towards 24/7 electrical power, but that is yet another 'supposed to' that we aren't holding our breath for.) We are just learning what needs to be budgeted to replace the batteries every few years.  It's not cheap, but it's less than the monthly bill from the electric company. Next up in our off grid living arrangement:  A larger rain water collection system and filtration for drinking the water we collect!

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