As energy costs continue to increase, off grid living becomes appealing to more and more people. It is now entirely possible to disconnect from the power grid and make all of your own energy. If you size the system appropriately, you can use solar panels or wind turbines to produce all of your own power. By producing some of your own electricity, you can take at least a small step towards off grid living.

Let’s start by talking about solar power. Solar panels are a great option for supplying power to many homes and can work in all parts of the world, even in remote areas or places with a harsh environment. Some hardware and plenty of sun are the only requirements. It is actually pretty easy to build your own solar panel. To see the best guide I’ve found, visit GreenDIYEnergy Review. You can build a solar power system that is as large or small as required and it can even be portable if your living arrangements are mobile. Solar panels need very little maintenance, are tough and will last 20 or more years if taken care of.

A basic system includes some number of solar panels which are wired together. In order to produce maximum power, solar panels in the northern hemisphere should be pointed due south. Some solar power systems use panels that rotate so they always point directly at the sun, though with more recent solar panels this is less important than it was with older panels. With modern solar panels, as long as they are pointed due south and at the proper vertical angle, stationary panels will work almost as well as ones driven by motors. Another great resource for how to build a solar panel is Build your own Solar Panel.

Since solar cells produce Direct Current (DC), the electricity produced by solar cells can be used to power any DC appliance or to charge batteries. Using batteries allows for storing electricity to be used when the sun isn’t shining.

A power inverter can be used to convert the DC electricity from solar panels into the AC electricity that standard appliances around your house require. A power inverter can convert DC electricity coming from either the solar panels or batteries in AC electricity.

A wind turbine can also be used to generate the power that will enable you to begin living off grid. Wind turbines can be mounted on a tower, a pole or sometimes even the roof of your house. They are very efficient and fairly small. One advantage of a wind turbine over solar panels is they can generate power all day and all night as well. As long as the wind is blowing, a wind turbine can produce electricity. For a great guide to building your own wind turbine, check out Earth 4 Energy Review

It is possible to combine both solar panels and a wind generator in one system. Both solar panels and wind turbines generate DC electricity so you can use the same batteries and power inverter with both. At night the wind turbine can produce power as long as there is a breeze and on calm, sunny days the solar panels can take over and generate electricity.

Using either or both of these systems can provide enough electricity to enable you to pull the plug and start living off grid. They can allow you to take your first step toward complete off grid living.