Off-grid with hot showers and a fridge.
I don’t sleep on the ground. Period. The last time I slept in a tent, when Nate and I were young and dumb living in Virginia, a buck played chicken with our dog all night. For the first couple of hours of her warning growls, I was convinced it was a bear. Needless to say, one time was enough. I do LOVE being outside. I’m not afraid of getting dirty or sweaty, in fact I enjoy a little manual labor, but at the end of the day I need a hot shower and a good meal. About ten years ago the idea of going to visit this off grid cabin in South Dakota, where I assumed I’d have to eat dirt, with Nate’s entire family and our 16 month old daughter, it did not sound like a me thing.
Turns out it was just fine, due to my favorite kind of witchcraft, solar power. It works friends! No matter what you read or hear on the news, I’m here to tell you, it fucking works. The entire property is 100% off grid. Don’t be confused when you see normal outlets and a complete, modern kitchen. There are no underground or hidden power lines.
Until last summer, the Big Cabin had run exclusively on a system of the eight panels pictured above on a swivel arm, with witchcraft that follows the sun, and a back up generator to supplement when weather is an issue. As promised, Nate will get into all of this witchcraft in his Technical Talks.
Due to shorter days and the angle of the sun in the winter, we found we were using the generator more than we wanted, so last summer Nate and his Dad added 12 more stationary panels to the back of the barn. The impact on the amount of power we have been able to maintain and store with the batteries has been incredible.
Nate is constantly spouting off about the increase in watts and amp hours. Constantly, like in the room with me right now. All I know is, it feels amazing to have the conveniences of a modern home with such a minimal footprint. If we love this place like we say we do, it’s our responsibility to ensure our use is as respectful to the entire ecosystem as possible. I’m extremely passionate about this, which is a particular pain point for Nate, who has had to negotiate and debate with me over every single tree that may, or may not, be affecting the panels access to sun. It’s a process.
Solar power and the battery systems do come with a little maintenance and effort, but on the whole it is very achievable and accessible. I already hear your grumblings. Not everyone has a Nate. It’s true, but with a little research and connecting to the right people, it’s truly not that hard. Even I can do it. We will continue to dive deeper into how this system is currently set up and how we plan to grow it. At this point, we are planning to connect the Ranger Cabin to this same system. This will require some changes and work, so let’s see how it goes!
Technical Talk with Nate.
Turns out Nate had a lot more to say than I thought. In trying to give you small and appropriate doses, this Technical Talk will be its own post coming up next.