I mentioned to a friend today that I was doing more research for my plan to build a wired, off-the-grid home, and he nearly spit out his coffee. I asked him what he thought was so bloody funny, and he looked first at my cell phone – which had just been ringing – and then at my laptop, and then at my face, smirking. Which all somehow was meant to imply that I was some rabid technophiliac that had a device for everything, and was always using it, and that I’d need solar panels covering an area the size of the Sahara to effectively go solar. Which I imagine is a common misconception about living “green” and “wired” at the same time. The fact is, in spite of having a computer on ALL THE TIME at home, I only use an average of about 9kWh a day, which is about a third of the national average. How do I do it? I never use AC, I have a small, energy efficient fridge, and I use lights only as needed. I also take in most of my video entertainment on the computer instead of the typical TV/DVD/Cable setup many people use. My usage would go up a bit if I had a washer and dryer in my apartment, but I bet I could still keep it well under the 30kWh a day that is the national average. So enough defensive tooting of my energy miser horn, the fact is that a lot of this is irrelevant, because I’m planning a house from the ground up, and basing my decision for where to live partly on the feasibility of wind and solar power. So how feasible is it to generate your own power and get off the grid? If you want to stay in an urban area, you have some challenges ahead, but it’s obviously a simple equation between your energy consumption, and how much you can generate. Duh. So how much can you generate? That obviously depends completely on where you live, but how do you determine how much to rely on wind, and how much to rely on solar wherever you live? That’s where we’re in luck, because compared to even a year or two ago, there’s a wealth of information out there to help you. Start out by figuring out your usage using a tool like the Lawrence Berkeley Labs’ Home Energy Calculator. And once you have a realistic handle on your usage, the best resources for taking an in-depth look at solar and wind resources nationwide are probably the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Solar Maps and the Department of Energy’s Wind Powering America Wind Resource Potential Estimates site, respectively. And if – as I am – you’re basing your choice on where to settle on the resources available, you might give also give some thought to MicroHydro. In our next piece we’ll be looking at real estate issues and site selection. Looks like I’ll see you in the Southwest, if the maps below are any indication.

National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Solar Maps site can tell you where the sun don’t shine

The Department of Energy’s “Wind Powering America” Wind Resource Potential Estimates site has a wealth of info as well.