I had the opportunity to watch Les Stroud's documentary called Off The Grid.  It's a great film documenting how Les Stroud, Sue Jamison and their 2 young children bought a 150 acre abandoned 1930's farm land in Northern Ontario and started what a lot of us dream of: living a sustainable life closer to the land.

Les Stroud is probably better known for the TV series Survivorman where he spends 7 days marooned and surviving in various hostile locations throughout the world.  He filmed this documentary between seasons when he and his family decided to take the leap into this great adventure. 

I like the documentary because of its personal approach.  If you follow Survivorman you will see it follows the same format of narration and self interview.  I wasn't really sure what to expect, but was pleasantly surprised that it is not a be all end all film of latest technology stuffed with technical data and crap.  It's really a story of how and ordinary family can accomplish living a more simple life, off-grid and without a deep pocket book.  How the move affects different aspects of their lives and the overall pros and cons of this lifestyle change.  One of my favorite parts of the film is how they go over their concerns with how the move will affect their children.  Being a father myself, I could relate to their struggles of trying to have the best of both worlds: Urban activities and Rural lifestyle.

I would recommend this great documentary to anyone wanted to see an overview of what it would take to rebuild a homestead and live off-grid.  You can only fit in so much  in an hour and 10 minutes so it's an overview not a step by step blueprint, however there is a ton of great information packed in.  I watched it 3 times and still goign through notes of things to research myself. 

I would love to see a follow-up to this film where there is more detail in the rain water harvesting System and well, update on the new cabin, update on the integrated solar/wind system such as how they calculated their electrical consumption to size the system and how close they are to their numbers analysing their actual use... but most of all it would be great just to have an update on how the family is adapting to the move ;o)

If your interested, you can purchase a copy of the full documentary or if you're lucky you can catch it in 2 one-hour series from Canada's OLN (Outdoor Life Network) or and affiliate.

PART 1

Before you start shopping for Solar Panels and related Solar Power Equipment, you must first determine your electrical consumption to size the system that is required to meet your needs. It is more cost effective to reduce consumption then to produce or harness the Solar Energy. There is no need to buy everything immediately. It is easier to proceed one step at a time and avoid buying equipment that will have to be replaced later.

Start by listing the electrical equipment that will be used and determine how energy will be consumed. There are products such as the cent-a-meter that is wired directly to your electrical panel and can be used to monitor and trend your electrical use. This research, monitoring and planned reduction will open your eyes as to how much electricity we waste. The more accurately you define your energy requirements, the easier it is to determine which photovoltaic energy system meets your expectations.

After you have accurately defined your present and extrapolated future needs and identified your consumption habits, you can decide what size of system you need. Some of the factors that need to be considered include:

• the seasonal profile of the load, i.e. the period when electricity demand is highest and electricity output is lowest, which is usually in fall or winter.

• the weekly/monthly profile of the load.

• the daily profile of the load (power required and number of hours per day) for each appliance.

• -type of load to be powered (motors, lights, etc.)

As the consumption for each household is different, so will the configuration of the system. Just remember, you do not have to create a 100% self sufficient Solar PV Array or invest hundreds of thousands of dollars to setup an off-grid or grid-tie renewable energy system. Start slow, research and plan... the point is to start and take action. Keep it Green!

Solar energy is a clean and abundant energy resource that can be used to supplement many of your energy needs. Solar energy can be utilized as a form of heat, such as solar water heating, and as electricity, such as solar photovoltaicc. Solar water heating systems are commonly referred to in the industry as Solar Domestic Hot Water (SDHW) systems.

Solar hot water heater collectors are good for your wallet and the environment. Heating domestic hot water accounts for about 20-25% of your home heat energy requirement. A correctly-sized solar system can provide 60%-70% of a household’s hot water needs. Providing more than this is not advisable, as too much heat will be produced in the summer.

Solar should not be seen as an alternative to gas or electricity, but rather as a supplement. Solar cannot totally replace the need for gas or electric heating as there are sometimes days when there is little sunlight.

Consumers can now buy "off-the-shelf" solar water heaters that meet industry-wide standards, providing a clean alternative to gas, electric, oil or propane water heaters. Freeze-protected solar water heaters have been specifically designed to operate reliably through the entire year, even when the outside temperature is either well below freezing or extremely hot.

From March to September solar energy could provide all your hot water but will only partly heat the water during the winter months, when your conventional heating method will need to be used to bring it up to temperature. Most homes will need to replace their current hot water cylinder, with a dual coil solar model.