Living Rhythmically with the Sun

By Barry Babcock

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to confront only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living it so dear, nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.
-Henry David Thoreau

Five years ago, my wife and I sold our small business in Cass County and moved to our 80 acres in Hubbard County. At that time, we found ourselves contemplating our power source. The new location was one third of a mile off of the energy grid. We weighed the options of going with the electric cooperative, which required four thousand dollars to run cable in, versus going solar.

Friends tried to talk us out of going solar for a variety of reasons, the most prominent being cost and the inconvenience.

Most solar systems I researched were well beyond our meager budget. Fortunately, I learned of RREAL (Rural Renewable Energy Alliance) in Backus. RREAL is a nonprofit whose mission is to develop renewable energy sources for people who do not have deep pocket books.

After weighing our options, we made the decision to build a small, stand alone solar system – and remain off the grid.

RREAL did a site assessment and determined our specific electrical needs. They calculated the amount of batteries we would need in conjunction with our solar electric output and acquired the necessary components.

The sun shined favorably upon us; at that time, RREAL had a limited amount of smaller output solar panels (maximum 40 watts) at a cost of one hundred dollars each. We obtained twelve at $1,200. These solar panels are no longer available. Today, more efficient products are available. The newer panels generate well over 100 watts apiece and the the cost of these panels can vary from a couple hundred dollars to a thousand dollars apiece.

How many greenbacks did this green project use? The cost breakdown was like this: The expenditure for all parts and labor to RREAL was $6,200. I spent approximately $400 for hardware. I did much of the labor such as building the array, trenching for the power line, and similar chores while RREAL provided the expertise. Total cost: under $7,000.

If we would have contracted with the local electric cooperative, I estimate the total cost to get electricity to the house would have been in excess of $5,000. And every month, we would have had an electric bill in the mailbox.

Living in our present state - off the grid with a stand-alone system - has already paid for itself in a variety of ways. The system has monetarily compensated for itself.

Our daily routine is structured according to the rhythms of the sun. We wash clothes, vacuum, and conduct other electrically charged activities when the sun is shining, and by making these adjustments, we still enjoy nearly most everything we did while on the grid.

In fact, we realize, more than ever, that true satisfaction in life is not a result of consumptive wealth but rather in living “sustainably” and rhythmically with the natural world.

When I sit in my backyard on a sunny warm spring afternoon, enjoying the invigorating warmth of the sun, I take great satisfaction that same sun is charging my batteries with a zero carbon footprint.

Just to be clear, our experience is different than city dwellers or any other people using a solar energy to fuel a structure that is already on the energy grid. Solar energy systems fueling homes and businesses on the grid, unlike ours, do not directly use the electricity they generate. They actually reverse the electric meter. When the sun doesn’t shine, they still have unlimited access to grid electricity.

When the sun doesn’t shine for us, we only have our batteries to fall back on therefore our electricity is more valuable as we have a limited amount. Another draw back is the short and cloudy days in November and December when we have to frequently run a generator in order to charge our batteries. But contrary to beliefs about the inefficiency of solar in Minnesota’s winters, when the sun shines during those winter months with a snow cover, we get the added benefit of the reflection. Rarely do we need to start our generator in the spring, summer, and early autumn.

Solar energy is something anyone can set up themselves. Both solar and wind energy give people independence from utilities and cooperatives. Harnessing these sources of power also relieves this planet of the negative effects that coal-fired and hydro-electric plants contribute to air pollution, climate change, and the inundation and displacement of wild lands.

Thoreau said 150 years ago: In short, I am convinced, both by faith and experience, that to maintain one’s self on this earth is not a hardship but a pastime, if we live simply and wisely; as the pursuits of the simpler nations are still the sports of the more artificial. It is not necessary that a man should earn his living by the sweat of his brow, unless he sweats easier than I do.


Other helpful information can be found at:

Grid Tie Solar Systems

Minnesota Solar Roofing

Residential Solar Power Home Systems

American Solar Energy Society

Minnesota Solar



READER RESPONSES:

Great article Barry! Now you need to get a solar cooker for cooking your sap. Don't laugh -- I saw the demonstration and they really do work. -Howard Bork