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Our Off-Grid Family Vacation
The wind turbine was cranking
Last week I was with family and friends in the Northern California area of Mt. Shasta for a weekend get-away. We stayed in a developed part of the National Forest, which had no access to the grid. Each home was set on 2.5 acres and surrounded by forest and meadow. The home we stayed in was beautiful in many ways and was powered by a wind turbine and solar array, as well as a propane generator for low battery situations.
Where the batteries, generator and computer monitor is kept
Those who wonder how much juice you can get off-grid might be surprised to know that we had 10 people at this home and were using all the modern conveniences (microwave, dishwasher, hot-water, lights, etc) without a hiccup. It wasn't until the 2nd day that we realized we were off-grid.
Charger controller and fuse box
The off-grid system seemed very well conceived, but did use the propane generator when the batteries were low.
Computer which manages power source and switching between batteries and generator
When we arrived there was around 3 feet of snow on the ground and when we left I had to dig our vertically standing cross-country skis out of the snowbank. It was good to know that we didn't have to rely on the grid for staying cozy and comfortable, but could instead rely on the wind, which was keeping the turbine busy and the solar panels.
It was quite a setting as the drifts grew and grew...
The setting was made all the more beautiful by the lack of power or phone lines on our views.
View from the door to the off-grid control room
It took two hours to dig the car out and then 3 of us to push it onto the road, but it was worth the effort for a wonderful and CO2 free get-away...
Our dog Scotch was in heavan.
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