Your off-grid world
Power & energy
Understand what you need to run, how to store energy and what to keep in reserve.
Add it to your project
A good place to begin
Batteries, solar and cloudy days
Follow an energy balance across several days and learn what to ask about storage, recovery and backup.
Choose a backup generator for your off-grid cabin
Match generator output to essential loads and battery charging. Compare three US inverter models, fuel choices and the practical limits of a cabin backup plan.
Choosing a battery bank for an off-grid cabin
Choose between a portable station and a separate battery bank. Compare three documented candidates around weekend use, a fridge left running and cold-weather charging.
Make your first off-grid energy audit
Understand watts and watt-hours, work through a sample day, and build an equipment list that shows its uncertainties.
MPPT or PWM for a cabin: choose the solar charge controller
Choose charging control around panel voltage, battery chemistry and expansion. Work through controller labels without treating wattage as a complete compatibility check.
Off-grid solar kits for cabins: what a complete setup must include
Compare solar-kit contents, check compatibility and work through an assumed cabin energy budget before choosing equipment.
Start your off-grid power plan
Begin with the things you need to run. A clear equipment and usage list makes later decisions much easier to check.