I have been researching Solar energy for years now and Manage several "Offgrid Living" Groups on Facebook with over 100,000 members. https://www.facebook.com/groups/LivingOffgrid/
I have been saving to build a Solar Power system for our small Offgrid Cabin in Northern Ontario, Canada.
What I have learned from others that are living off the grid with Solar is that it is very Expensive to build and maintain.
The Solar panels are a very small component of the System. More important are the batteries, wiring and other technology required to keep your system running in good order.
I have watched people install very expensive Solar Power systems and then realize they also need a Diesel Generator to maintain the Charge on their batteries or risk destroying them if levels drop below 80 %.
Looking into Grid-Tied Solar is also very expensive. I have quotes of $30,000 to set up a 6 kw system on my Roof that would sell the Power back to the Government at 30 cents a KWhr. Then I need to buy the Electricity back at 20 cents/kwhr ??
The Problem with Grid Tied Solar is the amount of Power that is lost over Long Transmission lines.
Massive Solar Farms are being built and much electricity is lost sending the Power great distances over Power Lines. The sky is filled with Wires .... Why ?
This requirement to convert Direct Current to Alternating Current sent over great distances is a Big Problem.
We can learn a lot from people who live with DC Power in their Offgrid Trailers and boats ... They can do a lot with a single 300 Watt Solar Panel and Direct Current appliances.
That is the Answer. "Small Solar"
We need to invent Gadgets and Appliances equipped with Small Solar Panels and Efficient Lithium or better battery technology. A small Built-in Solar Panel that trickle Charges a built-in Lithium battery to run the Appliance.
I am thinking something like an Air Conditioner that uses Solar to trickle charge a large enough battery to run the Air Conditioner when it is needed.... when the sun is shining and it is Hot. A second battery would be used to top up and run the Main battery on Cloudy days and during the night. I have already sent my ideas to Elon Musk.
No Wires, No loss in Transmission lines, No Loss converting from DC to AC.
This is what all the Inventors should be working on .... If we could have all our devices run like this we would not need any Fossil Fuels.
Some of my Proof of Concept Videos: And Yes they are small.
The Infinite Free Power Solar Light Bulb. $ 10 https://amzn.to/3c77yv0
The Infinite Free Power Solar Backpack ... $49 https://amzn.to/3a4DGh7
This is a good book to read: "Small is Beautiful" https://amzn.to/2PpjRcn
Small Is Beautiful is Oxford-trained economist E. F. Schumacher's classic call for the end of excessive consumption. Schumacher inspired such movements as Buy Locally and Fair Trade; while voicing strong opposition to casino capitalism and wasteful corporate behemoths. Named one of the Times Literary Supplements 100 Most Influential Books Since World War II, Small Is Beautiful presents eminently logical arguments for building our economies around the needs of communities, not corporations.
