The rising cost of energy is making more people think about off grid living every day. It is now entirely possible to disconnect from the power grid and make all of your own energy. Many people are generating their own electricity with solar panels or wind turbines and accommodate all of their power needs, if their system is correctly sized. This can allow you to take your first step towards a full off grid living livestyle.

Let’s start by talking about solar power. Even in remote or harsh places, solar panels can be a great option for supplying power. 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, take a look at GreenDIYEnergy. A solar power system can be as small or big as you want and can also be made portable if you are mobile. Solar panels are tough, require very little maintenance and can last up to 20 years if properly cared for.

Some number of solar panels wired together are primary part of any solar power system. 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 more recent solar panels, stationary panels work quite well as long as they are pointed directly south and at the correct vertical angle. For another good guide to building a your own solar panel take a look at Build Solar Panel.

Solar cells produce DC electricity which can be used to charge batteries or provide power to any device than uses DC electricity. Using batteries allows for storing electricity to be used when the sun isn’t shining.

If you want to provide electricity to Alternating Current (AC) appliances like you typically have around your home, you will need a power inverter. A power inverter can be used to do the DC to AC conversion on power coming from either the solar panels or from batteries.

Another way to generate power to enable you to live off grid is with a wind turbine. You can mount a modern wind turbine on a pole or tower, or perhaps even on the roof of your home. These modern wind turbines are fairly small and quite efficient. Wind turbine can generate power at night, which is an advantage over solar panels. A wind turbine can generate power as long as the wind is blowing. To read about how to build your own wind generator take a look at Earth4Energy Review

Some people use a wind turbine together with solar panels. This can give the best of both worlds and the same batteries and power inverter can be used with both. If it is overcast and windy the wind turbine can generate power and if is it a sunny, calm day the solar panels will provide power.

Using either or both of these systems can provide enough electricity to enable you to pull the plug and start living off grid. They will let you take your first step towards completely pulling the plug.