Wiring. Living Disconnected.

Of course it is possible, and in fact becoming easier and cheaper.

The economics can be doubtful though, home produced electricity tended to be more expensive than that obtained from the grid. This may change in the light of recent events.

There are two main exceptions to this. Firstly of the load is very small, less than 1 kwh a day is actually very expensive from the grid due to standing charges.

And in areas without a grid connection, then going off grid can be cheaper than paying for grid extension. An old friend of mine was quoted over £20,000 for a grid connection, decades ago. probably £200,000 in todays money. You can buy a lot of wind turbines or PV modules for that money.

If properly designed, an off grid system can be more reliable than utility service.

I am aware of one system that is now much larger than is sensible at 24 volts. The maximum demand is about 2,000 amps at 24 volts ! In retrospect a battery voltage of 120 volts or even 240 volts would have been better, but the system was not planned, it “just sort of grew”

At the other extreme, in the developing world, a single 10 watt PV module and a small  battery can supply a couple of 1 watt LED lamps for several hours each evening at very low cost, under £25. Scrap car batteries will often last months in very small systems, and still have the same scrap lead value afterwards, so the battery cost is arguably zero.

Of course it is possible, and in fact becoming easier and cheaper.

The economics can be doubtful though, home produced electricity tended to be more expensive than that obtained from the grid. This may change in the light of recent events.

There are two main exceptions to this. Firstly of the load is very small, less than 1 kwh a day is actually very expensive from the grid due to standing charges.

And in areas without a grid connection, then going off grid can be cheaper than paying for grid extension. An old friend of mine was quoted over £20,000 for a grid connection, decades ago. probably £200,000 in todays money. You can buy a lot of wind turbines or PV modules for that money.

If properly designed, an off grid system can be more reliable than utility service.

I am aware of one system that is now much larger than is sensible at 24 volts. The maximum demand is about 2,000 amps at 24 volts ! In retrospect a battery voltage of 120 volts or even 240 volts would have been better, but the system was not planned, it “just sort of grew”

At the other extreme, in the developing world, a single 10 watt PV module and a small  battery can supply a couple of 1 watt LED lamps for several hours each evening at very low cost, under £25. Scrap car batteries will often last months in very small systems, and still have the same scrap lead value afterwards, so the battery cost is arguably zero.