Talking to an old homesteader changed how I look at my solar setup

I was swapping stories with a guy in his 70s at a hardware store in Flagstaff who's been off grid since the 80s, and he told me I was overcomplicating my panels by trying to maximize every watt. He said his system runs on just two 100 watt panels and a handful of batteries, and he's never had an issue. Anyone else get humbled by someone who's been doing this way longer?

3 comments

3 Comments

foster.jordan1mo ago

Start asking those old timers about their inverter choices and battery chemistry - bet you'll find they run everything at 12 volts DC and skip the inverter entirely. My neighbor's been off grid since 1995 with a setup that would make most modern installers cringe, but his system runs on pure simplicity and a deep understanding of his actual power needs. Sometimes the most advanced thing you can do is step back and ask if you really need to convert that tiny LED light from DC to AC in the first place.

max2231mo ago

1995? Ngl that is wild to think about. My neighbor's inverter failed last winter and he was stuck running extension cords from his truck battery for three days just to keep the lights on. But 1995 means he built that system when most people still thought renewable energy was a hippie fantasy. I can't even imagine the parts he must have had to scavenge to make that work back then. Battery tech alone from the 90s was basically golf cart batteries and hope, so for him to still be running on the same basic concept is honestly impressive. Makes me wonder how many of those modern installers would even know where to start troubleshooting a system that old.

blake7921mo ago

Is he running everything on 12 volt DC or did he bump up to 24 volts for longer wire runs? I've heard old timers swear by 24 volt systems for reducing wire costs without adding the complexity of a full inverter setup. Would be curious if he ever felt limited by that choice or if it just made his whole system more reliable.