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Lessons learned after living in an off-grid rental - The Verge
Dec 03, 2022 1 min, 56 secs
It’s something that’s become increasingly possible for many thanks to advances in solar panels, battery storage, data coverage, and flexible work-from-anywhere policies that have proliferated in the days since COVID-19.

I knew going in that my energy demands would push the already-well-equipped solar-powered cabin to its limits.

The Esther house is powered by a large solar array on the rooftop, with six 320W panels helping to keep a pair of 2.4kWh lithium-ion batteries charged.

When the sun goes down, the house is wholly dependent upon the batteries for electricity.

Sweden’s short winter days present a real challenge for the cabins.

Sweden’s short winter days present a real challenge for the cabins as the low, weak sun can’t keep the batteries charged.

Whatever he buys, he can charge its relatively large 100kWh-plus battery at home before driving to each cabin every few days to charge their much-smaller batteries.

Jesper or Petra already have to visit each cabin every two to three days anyway to clean them and refill the water tanks. .

Fresh water comes from a 250-liter (66 gallon) water tank.

The house is also fitted with a 10-liter (2.6 gallon) water heater, which is enough for about five to seven minutes of hot water.

Jesper estimates that each house consumes about 100W per hour when idle, allowing the batteries to power the house for about two days without any charging. !

They’re also equipped with a liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) system for the combined air and water heater and also for the stove and oven. There’s also a waterless composting toilet from Separett that InForest takes care of after guests check out.

In our seven days in the house, we only had to have the water refilled once, I’m proud to say.

I just wish the cabin was also equipped with a power meter.

I have no idea how close we came to emptying its batteries, or how much surplus power all those panels produced during the day. As I’ve learned when reviewing solar generators, it’s easier to modify energy consumption habits when you see them mapped over time.

Although I have access to what seems like a never-ending supply of electricity and hot water here in Amsterdam, high energy prices make resources I’ve previously taken for granted suddenly feel scarce

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