Solar Powered

As energy costs are at an all-time high, many people are looking for ways to cut costs and become more self-sufficient. When it comes to solar power, there are effectively two ways to do this, a whole-home solar setup that requires a reasonably complex installation, usually by professionals, or a more off-grid approach that isn’t wired into your home’s electrical systems. Rees made a fascinating video based on his DIY project for the latter, that video then went somewhat viral on YouTube.

It was great to chat with Rees about the actual setup involved, things he learned from this project, what going viral really feels like, and some great general discussion about solar and off-grid power.

Have you had any fun with solar power, maybe you’ve got a whole-home system or have been tinkering with an off-grid solution like Rees’, we’d love to hear from you, so send a note over to podcast@crossedwires.net, leave a comment on the post, or start a discussion in Goodpods.

If you liked this episode or any of our content, we’d greatly appreciate any little bit of support you can throw our way over at our Ko-Fi page.

Episode Links

• ctrl-alt-rees: YouTube / Website / Mastodon / Twitter
• Rees’ solar videos (YouTube Playlist)
• MPPT Charge Controllers – Renewablewise
• How PoE Splitters Work – FS Community
• EcoFlow River 2 – Portable power system

Chapter Times

1. 00:00:04: Introductions
2. 00:01:45: Going Viral
3. 00:11:30: DIY Solar Vs Whole Home
4. 00:13:45: Why This Project?
5. 00:15:26: Upfront Costs & Payback Time
6. 00:19:53: Planning Permission?
7. 00:22:52: How Much Can The Panels Generate?
8. 00:27:00: Charge Controllers
9. 00:28:46: Learnings From The Setup
10. 00:33:02: Off Grid Phone Charging
11. 00:35:42: Unexpected Cost Savings
12. 00:38:07: Benefits Of PoE Or Low Voltage
13. 00:42:52: Cost of Living
14. 00:49:34: Wrapping Up

Credits

Intro and outro theme: Ace of Clubs by RoccoW