By Will Burlin Off-Grid Specialist Unbound Solar
When I first went off the grid it was because we bought a property that didn’t have power lines yet. I didn’t know what I was getting into.
Little did I know that I was about to embark on the greatest adventure of my life. Or that I would become a solar enthusiast, off-grid system designer and installer. Since then, I have developed a lifelong mission to be as sustainable as possible while living a comfortably “normal” life.
We raised our 16-year-old daughter off-grid in a handmade stone house, and a few years ago I bought a new off-grid straw bale house. Our daughter has learned to save, solve problems, become self-sufficient, and appreciate what is expected in a typical American home.
I’ve even had friends ask to come to me during a long power outage and I was happy to help. We fired up the wood stove, baked a pot, and had plenty of electricity for lights, charged phones and laptops, watched movies, and cut wood for the fire with power tools.
Winter is one of the most rewarding times to live off the grid. When snow and ice pull down power lines and leave the city without power for days, all I have to do is shovel the snow off the solar panels, and that’s common at our house.
Sure, after braving a week of blizzard conditions, we can run out from time to time. Instead of getting angry, it makes me appreciate how well the system works 99% of the time. You can always use a generator to charge your batteries, but my family likes to conserve and live within our system’s means. If our electricity runs out, we turn off the electricity, and if necessary, we switch to candles and gas lamps.
What might seem like a nuisance to some actually makes us feel good, like we’ve stepped back in time. Living life as our ancestors did, with natural resources, waking and sleeping with the sun. Wrap up for extra warmth. Connected to the planet and all animals that live outdoors and are exposed to extreme weather conditions. It makes me appreciate life to the fullest.
Shop Unbound Solar’s complete selection of off-grid solar system packages.
To learn how Unbound Solar can help you design and build a custom off-grid solar system, contact us at 1-800-472-1142.
***
Wil B. is a PV system designer and sales technician for Unbound Solar. He lives off the grid in Taos, New Mexico.
