Going ‘off-grid’ – it’s definitely time, but is it realistic?
Combining solar and a home battery is a great way to save money on electricity that also has many benefits for the environment, but is off-grid living a realistic option for most Australian households?
With nearly 50,000 battery storage systems installed in Australian homes in 2022¹ – a 55% increase in 2021 – there’s a strong and growing demand for sustainable and self-sufficient homes. However, despite the desire of an increasing number of Australians to completely disconnect from the grid and meet their own energy needs, for many, achieving total energy self-sufficiency is still a long way off.
Here we look at what it means to go off-grid, the reasons fuelling the growing demand for increased energy self-reliance, and how to kick start – and manage – your journey to energy independence.
What does ‘off grid’ mean?
In simple terms, going ‘off grid’ means completely disconnecting from the national electricity grid and using a solar and battery storage system to provide 100% of your household’s electricity needs. Combining solar and a home battery is a great way to save money on electricity that also has many benefits for the environment, but is off-grid living a realistic option for most Australian households?
Around 2% of Australians currently live off-grid², with most living in remote and rural areas where electricity prices are traditionally higher due to the high cost of local power generators. In urban and suburban areas, very few Australians live off-grid at present – but an increasing number have expressed an interest to, with many already taking steps to reduce reliance on the national electricity grid with a rooftop solar PV system and home solar battery. The answer to the question, ‘Is off-grid living realistic for Australian households?’, is currently ‘No’. However, with advances in home energy storage, the day in which energy self-sufficiency at home becomes a reality for most Australians is likely not far away.
Off-grid vs on-grid solar
Whereas an off-grid solar system involves completely disconnecting from the national electricity grid, on-grid solar (also known as ‘grid-tied’ or ‘grid feed’ solar) involves reducing reliance on the grid but not completely disconnecting from it. Adding a home solar battery to an on-grid solar system creates a ‘hybrid’ system, which for many households looking to reduce reliance on grid electricity, is the most feasible option. This is due to the challenges of completely disconnecting from the grid, which largely relates to experiencing blackouts and going without power at times due to the rooftop solar PV system not producing enough electricity to provide for the household’s needs. At present, most completely off-grid households have a generator as backup in addition to a solar home battery.
However, with a hybrid system, households store the excess solar energy generated during the day for use later, reducing reliance on grid electricity, lowering energy bills and, if a solar home battery like the sonnenBatterie Evo with blackout protection is installed, can actually provide power in the event of a blackout. To provide more power for appliances and lighting during a blackout, the sonnenBatterie Evo includes backup solar power with 5kW continuous and 7kW surge capacity and features a Black Start function to ‘wake’ up an AC coupled PV system – even when the grid is down.
How many solar panels are needed to go off grid?
In addition to a suitable home solar battery storage system, solar panels play a vital role in going off-grid, but there are several important considerations when determining how many solar panels are needed to completely provide for a household’s energy requirements. The number of solar panels required to achieve complete off-grid living depends on a variety of factors, including the household’s average daily electricity consumption, the type and efficiency of the panels installed, and the amount of available sunlight based on factors such as climate, roof size, and house orientation.
Why reduce reliance on the grid and how to get there
There are a growing number of reasons to reduce reliance on the grid, most of which relate to lowering carbon emissions and minimising exposure to grid electricity prices which will continue to rise and place further pressure on Australian households. Additionally, the increased affordability of rooftop solar and battery storage has made these systems increasingly appealing to homeowners.
Although off-grid living is unrealistic for most Australian households for now, there are measures that many homeowners can implement to use less grid electricity, with a combination of rooftop solar panels and battery storage as the most viable and reliable of the options currently available. Additionally, there are great reasons to stay connected to the grid with solar and a battery, and not just lowering electricity bills while harnessing the power of clean renewable energy from the sun.
One of the most prominent of these reasons is to join a virtual power plant (VPP) program and help to stabilise the grid by contributing to the aggregated capacity of the VPP. Along with reducing large-scale solar and other renewable energy source intermittency to create greater grid stability, you’ll be helping society transition to a cleaner energy system that delivers significant environmental benefits. These benefits include but aren’t limited to, reducing the usage of fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas and unsustainable bioenergy produced from agricultural crops.
Explore the sonnen product range
Solar and home batteries are increasingly affordable, making going off-grid a popular aim among Australian homeowners on their energy independence journeys, but there are things to consider. Whether you choose to go completely off-grid or reduce your reliance on the grid gradually, there are many benefits to embarking on your journey to energy independence sooner rather than later. It isn’t all or nothing when it comes to solar – you can always take your journey at your own pace.
To get started on your journey, explore the sonnen range and contact a sonnen expert to find out how combining a sonnenBatterie with a rooftop solar PV system can help your household to reduce reliance on the grid, set yourself up for an eventual off-grid living and move towards an energy independent future.
¹Home battery installs jump 55 pct as solar households turn to storage in record numbers
²Going off grid: a study in Australian history
