The TRUTH About OFF-GRID Solar | Winter Update

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We answer your most asked questions about our massive off-grid power system, including how it performed this winter// Join Thrive Market today to get 30% off your first order AND a FREE gift worth up to $60! thrivemarket.com/AmbitionStrikes
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We're a husband and wife team who bought 20 acres of bare off-grid land in North Idaho. Follow along as we turn a pole barn into our dream shop with an upstairs apartment!
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00:00 Most Asked Questions
06:20 System Specs
07:21 Power Draws
09:12 Winter Usage
12:33 Summer Usage

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3 май 2024

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@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

Join Thrive Market today to get 30% off your first order AND a FREE gift worth up to $60! thrivemarket.com/AmbitionStrikes

@ThriveMarket 11 месяцев назад

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@ehombane 7 месяцев назад

the extra power from the summer should be used to store energy in some long term storing system, like redox flow batteries, but those needs some heating too, so maybe is nmot the best option, plus, is not yet a mature technology. Or maybe hydrogen, but also, not quite here yet. For the moment your solution seems the best, especially since it uses an used generator, that did not add more pollution being made, and sturdy enough to last the rest of your life. The only upgrade could be some filter or catalyst to exhaust. Do not forget that all your pollution will go into your water well. (by the way, good solution with incinerating the waste, even could have been used as fertilizer. But such short circuit to the water supply could create contamination. You should be careful for contamination from those heavy equipment you use there too. )

@hildebertocarreiro9232 3 месяца назад

Get garage door put over solar chrome paint l.e.d.s. Light presto Light at night 🌃

@kumatmebro315 3 месяца назад

@tiny9614 11 месяцев назад

I have 38 panels on my home and in West Texas. We have SIL-370-HC 370w black solar panels with Enphase IQ8+ micro inverters and produce on average 75kwh daily. Last month we used ~500kwh and produced over 1500kwh. Our panels have a 25 year manufacture warranty. About $300/panel. We live in a city and currently don’t have battery back up but do use a buy back program. So far we have had a negative bill. Thought I would share. Happy hunting!

@HansKeesom 11 месяцев назад

As long as the bill is negative you don't need a battery for that. However, do you have outages?

@capnkirk5528 11 месяцев назад

@@HansKeesom It's Texas. If they don't have outages they will ... but battery prices are going to keep dropping, so holding off may be the smartest thing to do - still I would have a little bit of "cheap" batteries just to run the fridge etc. during an outage. And a way to charge off the solar even during an outage (if your grid-tie makes you go black during an outage, many do).

@tiny9614 11 месяцев назад

Hey guys. We have outages but fortunately we live close to a hospital and are on their grid. I have contemplated on buying a natural gas generator and installing it and then later purchasing batteries. I think overall that would complete my system.

@tommyandbellasadventures 11 месяцев назад

Good project run a trench to shop and put a new generator with push start in house

@ianbedwell4871 11 месяцев назад

Great video guys, i think you have a practical balance. However don’t underestimate the amount of washing a small child will produce, its staggering! What about building a large pond up mountain and pumping it full with spare water then generate hydro electric over the shortage periods?

@arnobirkigt4660 11 месяцев назад

We have lived off grid for 41 years in Northern Alberta which has even less winter daylight and temps to the minus 40 range, you have done an excellent job of identifying the challenges. I would say that you can reduce your consumption as we have 38 kw of storage with lead acid and run a 3kw power plant about 25 hours a year to protect the batteries from not going below 50% We are very low energy users averaging about 4 kw a day in winter no welding shop here only lights, fridge, pumps and devices in the winter while in the summer we run air conditioners and other high drain appliances to use up the surplus energy. I am still using one of the Trace 4024 inverters which has to be 35 years old and I have panels that are 25 years old and still producing very well. The first panels we had were ARCO and the cost was $10 per watt so today panels are almost free by comparison. The technology has changed and moved forward with the price dropping so it is much easier to be self reliant now. We have had 2 power outages over the 41 years that lasted under 10 minutes as I had to reset the system. I wish you all the best and hope your system continues to meet your needs for at least the next 40 years.

@boblatkey7160 10 месяцев назад

Good for you buddy! My off grid days go back to trace engineering and heart interface and arco solar panels as well. I'm still doing it for a living!

@roberts.wilson1848 6 месяцев назад

4kw/day?! so you are making food over wood fire and washing your clothes in the river? Also heating in the winter with wood fire right?! There's no way you can achieve that 4kw/day on electrical products, especially in winter. Not talking about food preserving. You must eat very little, like maybe eating berries and other raw stuff. No sopus and other cooked foods

@arnobirkigt4660 6 месяцев назад

The 4 kw is real we use propane for cooking and back up heat no electricity required, laundry is only washed then hung to dry which helps add humidity in winter then fluffed for 15 minutes in a propane dryer. The largest draws are the deep freeze and fridge both of which are small and functional. I understand your comment as our lifestyle is outside of most peoples experiences@@roberts.wilson1848

@mparrad 6 месяцев назад

4 KW/h a day in winter is crazy.... You either are freezing or eating frozen food + showering with cold water all the time.... IMO 4 KW a day is not healthy nor recommended.

@TheJamesRedwood 6 месяцев назад

You didn't live off grid anywhere.

@citizencain454 11 месяцев назад

"This is Courtney from the future". :-) that was pretty cool!

@Poorehouse 11 месяцев назад

Riley, there is 2-wire auto start kit for MEP series generators. I have it for my MEP 802A. Inova was the first, but there are others. You can add a delay for the contactor to give the genset time to warm up. If you set the no-load frequency, so it drops to 60hz at the charging load, you don’t need to manual adjust the frequency. Inova Hightech.

@lextheap1638 11 месяцев назад

I don't know about this particular generator, but older aviation GPUs ( which this seems to mimic) are notorious for needing constant manual adjustment. I'm not sure an auto system could handle that

@Poorehouse 11 месяцев назад

@@lextheap1638 all I can say is my surplus military generator generally hold the loaded frequency I set. Unloaded it will be 2 or 3 hertz too high, but loaded up to 80-90%? Dead on. Set it and forget it. I don’t have hands on with the At 15K, and it was required from 3-phase to split phase, so their MMV.

@williammeek4078 10 месяцев назад

@@lextheap1638those generators have a designed speed/load droop that is very predictable. If they plan to run it only when the batteries are low at near full power until charged, what the guy describes is doable.

@davideggleston4793 11 месяцев назад

I loved seeing the little one even just during the adds. I hope you two are both doing well.

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

We are doing really well, thanks for checking in! ☺️

@elizabeththomas8746 11 месяцев назад

When did you have the. A y? Did I miss the video? Was loomi g forward to the announcement and meeting the baby!

@RickMyBalls 9 месяцев назад

I preferred the subtracts.

@willscheidegger4115 11 месяцев назад

When you upgrade the generator, you should consider a combined heat and power plant. The regular generator as a ridiculously low efficiency. With a combined heat and power plant you would at least use the heat energy for something useful.

@MusikCassette 10 месяцев назад

I don't know if that has to wait until there is an upgrade. you could just run the cooling water through a heat exchanger bevor it goes into the head sink. Sure it probably wont be the most efficient set up. But it surly gonna save a ton of energy for heating when it is most valuable.

@a-aron2276 10 месяцев назад

You could run the filtered exhaust through a lossnay cartridge and use it to warm fresh air being fed to the hvac.

@MusikCassette 10 месяцев назад

@@a-aron2276 that should work too. I wonder what would gane more of the heat. Perhaps it is best to use one for preheatiing water and one for heateing the home.

@a-aron2276 10 месяцев назад

@@MusikCassette it's by no means the way to do it but if you're already running the generator in -21° then you might aswell use the waste heat to take most of the load off the ac unit. But in all seriousness even directing the generators exhaust towards the ac units outdoor coil will help warm up inside.

@MusikCassette 10 месяцев назад

@@a-aron2276 I am not sure if they pump heat from the outdoor air. Having the space they have it would make more sense to pump the heat from the earth, or an subterainien water container.

@ModernMountainLiving 11 месяцев назад

Your Transparency and Positive attitude keeps me coming back to watch your adventure.

@sashagray319 11 месяцев назад

Love the video! I worked in the solar business for a long time, so your system really excites me. While I enjoy good engineering solutions, it sounds to me like you just need a tropical vacation every December. Winter energy problem solved!

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

Yes! I’m loving your solution. 😉

@danieloliver20 11 месяцев назад

Costa Rica??

@fredericrike5974 11 месяцев назад

@@AmbitionStrikes That is what the Snow Bunnies in Florida say, anyway! I love snow- it looks so nice and fluffy in pictures, and not at all like it looks AND FEELS in Winter! I'm for leaving it in the pictures! Signed, Frozen by Governor's consent in Texas!

@PatrickBaldwin1 11 месяцев назад

I am really glad that you are taking time and still giving us content to enjoy. Your kiddo looks to be doing well and that is so great to see. Keep up the great work!!

@retiredlogman 11 месяцев назад

Large dealers in generators usually have an inventory of emergency back-up generators from health care facilities, various utilities, etc. These units had a well cared for early life. They are replaced at regular intervals and are auto start. I have purchased several very large units (750 KW, and 625 KW) in the past and found them to be low hour, reliable investments. Sizes in your range are usually readily available. Thank you for sharing your journey.

@scottgilsdorf2938 11 месяцев назад

Congratulations you two! What a blessing Oliver is! Love your channel! Look forward to each episode!

@heathmix3204 11 месяцев назад

Yeah, Oliver has arrived! Always amazing having a little one, stressful at times, but absolutely amazing. I am sure I am not the only one looking forward to seeing you both grow further, and Oliver growing up. Hope all is well, and look forward to future live Videos.

@jbarvideo12 11 месяцев назад

Great, detailed info about your off grid power system. Glad to see you Three are doing well!

@douglasrussell5098 11 месяцев назад

Looking forward to hearing long term on your electrical. It's an amazing system. Hope all is well and you both are getting comfortable having a baby around. Stay safe

@heleneminger 11 месяцев назад

Our family has been following this part of your journey because you are doing what we are trying to do and all of your information is pertinent to our own environment. Courtney, you are an amazing partner to Riley and vice versa great teamwork.

@jdanderson6400 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the update. I ordered a similar system from Current Connected several days ago. I went with the same two inverters (I'll have a 100' x 40' wood shop), two 450v/200amp Charge Controllers, 15 of the SOK batteries instead of 12, and I have 56 panels that will generate just over 20kw as opposed to your 10kw. Your videos introduced me to Current Connected and I'm looking forward to building my system... As soon as our house and shop are erected in Northeast Texas!! Thanks for sharing your info...

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

Riley is drooling over your system! Being in Texas, can you send us some power in winter? 😂

@jdanderson6400 11 месяцев назад

@@AmbitionStrikes I just went back and watched your videos on building your solar rack and mounting your panels. When do you want to come visit and help me build ground mount rack(s) for 56 panels???? LOL, I'll feed you well!! I have never welded, but I recently bought a Hobart MVP 210 welder. Time to learn. I was a Reactor Operator in the nuclear field, so I can probably figure this out...

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

@@jdanderson6400 You got this! 👊

@jdanderson6400 11 месяцев назад

@@AmbitionStrikes As for sharing Winter power, we just need a 2007 mile extension cord. Now what gauge wire would that be??

@brianworley7705 11 месяцев назад

@@jdanderson6400 AWG unobtainium and too expensive for manufacturing. 😅

@booneshine3585 11 месяцев назад

Happy Mother’s Day! Great to see Oliver. Glad you are enjoying the comforts of your efforts with all the updates.

@benjaminreinhardt259 11 месяцев назад

Congratulations on the baby. Take care and rest up in this time you all take off.

@huey8431 8 месяцев назад

Great video! It was very informative. Thank you for sharing a piece of your journey as I just started the research for running solar throughout my home in Southern California.

@gregsimpson621 11 месяцев назад

I just watched your video from 10 to 12 months ago where you specifically mentioned the cost of everything. It was extremely thorough on ALL expenses. Not counting your labor and knowledge to be able to install it yourself. I love your videos! And love that you have a new addition to the family!

@gnomish844 11 месяцев назад

A decent HAWT on a small tower could be an awesome supplement to your solar array during winter months. Definitely won't remove the need to run the generator, but will certainly extend the time between generator starts. Average wind speed in Dec. in N. Idaho of ~10MPH puts you above minimums for a HAWT. Can even set up a dump load to resistors in a water heater to reduce the water heater load when your batteries do get full. And last -- Congrats, guys! And welcome, Oliver!!

@Awol991 11 месяцев назад

Also cold clear windy nights are when it works and solar does not.

@atheistpeace7579 10 месяцев назад

great idea. I would do two. once they get the driveway done, they can have bulk fuel delivered and hold a years worth of fuel paying for itself by eliminating trips to town to buy fuel at retail prices

@racgrac28 8 месяцев назад

My first choice would be wind living in Idaho, and even in Washington where i live, it would be wind over solar.

@madman432000 5 месяцев назад

Was just thinking about that, or if they had a small stream on property, install a micro hydro unit. My on-grid power usage is 4-600kwh per month but I have gas for most of those items that use it, Dryer, hot water, furnace, kitchen range.

@gg-gn3re 4 месяца назад

their power usage is more than double what mine is just with their mentioned devices, not even adding all the extra stuff. It'd be easier to just cut that down lmao oh wait they said later how much they use, it's like 10 times what we do.

@cc6861 11 месяцев назад

Yes, how smart was it to insulate the industrial container to keep batteries from freezing and placing the crate along side of the earth mound, yay for planning long term projects. What an informative video. I also like how you are going to evolve the home with new projects like laundry, hot tub and turning extra electricity into water energy! How exciting to add more fun projects! Thank you for sharing. I have zero experience about building only from books but you guys are in the game not just looking from the side lines. Keep going, I have watched almost everyone of your videos for information, struggles, pros/cons, money matters, and celebrations! Happy Mothers Day❤

@ElijahPerrin80 11 месяцев назад

Awesome and thankyou for sharing how well your system is running, it did awesome this winter and is so stable. Oliver looks adorable and you look great, I hope this spring has been good to you three and the sun shinning gives you a smile as the snow melts.

@taulli1 11 месяцев назад

Great video, answered so many questions! Bailey watching you on the couch, from the patio was priceless...

@Silent_runner 11 месяцев назад

Congratulations on the arrival of your baby boy you look terrific Courtney holding your baby!! And well done Riley aswell you are now complete with a family of your own best wishes to both you on this special event that happened in your life and thanks for sharing, and one other thing don't keep running to the doctor for your baby it's either food , nappy or sore tummy !! Have a good week both of you get lots of rest when baby is sleeping Courtney !!

@cmpphilip 11 месяцев назад

I've been looking forward to you making this video and sharing your spreadsheet. To put your use of the generator in perspective, we live in New Hampshire on the utility and had to run our generator 13 times this winter due too power outages. Shortess 2 hours, longest 26 for a total of 83 hours burning about .41 gallons an hour. Thanks for sharing your information Cheers and Happy Mothers Day

@persistenceovision 10 месяцев назад

First CONGRATULATIONS! Hope you both take the time to enjoy your growing family! Thank you for sharing and being so transparent with your experiences.

@ciciedee5474 11 месяцев назад

Awesome video! I too noticed a major change in December solar and rest of year solar. My backup is grid power. The cost of grid power is 30 a month versus 25k in batteries. The most exciting part of the video is seeing you go from preg to not preg. Congratulations 👏🎉

@lekeeper1 11 месяцев назад

wind turbine is cheap and works realy well in the canadian winter to supplement our solar aray, no generator at all except for emergencies

@kennethgibbons366 11 месяцев назад

Really interesting... Loved that your son was in this one even if only briefly. Always look forward to your postings... as to surplus power - I'm sure that you two will dream up some way of putting it to good use. Keep smiling... God bless you all.

@rongray4118 8 месяцев назад

Deanna and I purchased an Incinolet toilet that we have not even used as yet. We love this video!! Such great information for us before we get up on our property! Blessings to the two of you!!

@MichaelNatrin 11 месяцев назад

Fantastic information. Thanks for the authenticity. I think that if you've designed an off grid system that allows you to forget that you're off grid, that means you've done it right.

@dgsantafedave1 11 месяцев назад

I have the exact opposite of your need to keep the climate steady for your batteries and inverters/CC's. It gets to 110 on my property in the summer so I did the same thing and insulated my well shed and used that for the batteries storage area. BTW I love your inclination on your panels mine are at 30 degrees!

@OffGridandOutdoors 11 месяцев назад

Just now installing 3 of the EG4 mini split solar heater pumps. So far running them off of solar panels direct. And they work great. I'll be adding 18 more solar panels to my existing 18 to power the three heat pumps. 5 tons total.

@wayphun72 8 месяцев назад

...really appreciate the transparency of it all!

@AndrewJohnson149 7 месяцев назад

This was a great video! People always want to know how a project turned out long term and especially when it comes to solar systems. I know I watched tons of videos before building my system and I continue to watch them now for new ideas and ways to spend my money. Its also really great of you to give people your breakdowns and spreadsheet. Not something most people do and in fact, most people don't even know how much the end up spending when its all said and done. Thanks again. Oh, by the way, I love the fact that Courtney can't stop mentioning burning poop. LOL Love you guys!!

@ChatterontheWire 11 месяцев назад

1 power outage being offgrid, vs 2 at 4 hours total for me being on grid in central idaho this winter. Nicely done!

@mrfisha 11 месяцев назад

Not trying to be weird or anything but I just wanted to let you guys know that I love watching your content! It’s so much fun looking forward to a new video after a long day of work. You guys give me hope about my opinion of people! I’m not a big fan of people in general but you guys are always so pleasant and kind which I love! Thank you for sharing with us! P.S. I also never comment on videos either…. So you must be special 😉

@billythekid9155 11 месяцев назад

I loved see the new baby!! Please show him alittle so we can see him grow. You two are very blessed. Thanks for taking us on your journey.

@DannyCreech 11 месяцев назад

Guys, thank you for being so upfront and honest with all of us. It is clear that with this information that anyone considering going solar should not because of the astronomical cost and hassle unless on3 has to like in your case. I have full access to grid power but love the idea of going solar. After running the numbers for a whole house system, I could pay for grip power for 40 plus years and I know no solar system would last that long. Thanks again.

@daryltubbs7996 11 месяцев назад

Very informative , congratulation on the new addition! You two have accomplished so much in just two years, love your enthusiasm and I'm always impressed with your projects and ability work through projects on your own! Look forward to following the next chapter, wit the Baby do we have an addition on the apartments coming or are you planning a completely new home build?

@juliussigurorsson3509 11 месяцев назад

That was super interesting and educational for me. I have eyes on off grid property in Europe, and you just made the perfect video on perfect time. Me considering buying it and being off grid. Thank you!

@johnmeloche6569 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the update on the winter solar usage, looking forward to adding the laundry system to your usage

@pauldcabanlitjr1078 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the update. We loved getting a glimpse of Oliver...we hope all is well with your family🎵😎🎵

@RaisingVoyagers 11 месяцев назад

Shocked you are able to collect 750 watts when they are covered in snow like that! Brilliant setup!! We are in the process of planning out a 15kw system

@hendogg02 11 месяцев назад

Home Assistant is a great app. Using Home Assistant and color lights, you could probably have Home Assistant turn the house lights to red when you hit a threshold of power. Home Assistant would allow you to automate some of the things so you don’t have to monitor manually as much. Home assistant can run on almost anything, including a RaspberryPi for lower power consumption. Just a thought.

@MotorManiaTV 11 месяцев назад

Great update guys! We have an Ecoflow system I'm finishing building out to run our RV overnight. It's 2 Pro generators and will soon have 4 batteries. As soon as I can, I'll put my 10, 200 watt solar panels on the roof. Add the 2 ground deployable 400 watt panels and I'll have the ability to generate a total of 2800 watts. All of this equipment is in our 7X18' trailer we use for our business. Thanks for all you do, we've used Thrive for a few years, well worth it!

@johannesgross1732 11 месяцев назад

Similar experience in Germany / Cologne. It is just 3 degrees latitude more north than your location. At winter time we experience those 3 "month of tears" as well. External power is inevitable. From mid April we are self-suffient (6KWp and 30 KWh battery). Great experience! Glad you choose all your compnents right! I enjoy every of your episodes. Thank you!

@BACKROADSNOMAD 11 месяцев назад

Ambition Strikes, Courtney, Riley, and Oliver, so nice to see little Oliver looking so content in his swaddle with Mom. 😉 I believe he will be a natural in front of the camera as he grows. One of the best benefits to the solar system and generator is having the relaxed knowledge that you will never have a grid power failure, which is quite common in ID. IDK why more people who live rural/remote don't have back-up gens.?

@mountainviewhomestead5236 11 месяцев назад

We run a kohler generator with our victron off grid system. It is so nice and efficient having the entire system automated. .

@DrRussell 3 месяца назад

Really inspiring to go off grid! Thank you for so much detail: it's amazing!

@ptetiatshawdotca 8 месяцев назад

You guys did a lot of work document this. Very interesting. Thank you!

@redbeardedpanda 11 месяцев назад

Have you guys considered wind to supplement power in winter? Granted this would need to be established above the tree tops but its a thought for future content. Also contrats on the bambino! Happy first mother's day!

@MikeCris 11 месяцев назад

Wind power...🤣🤣🤣

@greenbubbleboy5673 11 месяцев назад

@@MikeCris they actually have small turbines that can go on the roof and look decent to generate energy. And wind blows at night. Diversifying energy sources is a great idea

@MidwesternNomad 11 месяцев назад

One of the wonderful things about living in the mountains of North Idaho is that there is almost no wind. Evening and morning breezes go up and down the valley but nothing substantial enough to provide power.

@CurtisDrew1 11 месяцев назад

I would imagine that for a wing generator to work they would need a 100' + tower for it to be in enough wind to make it work well enough. And remember they on the side of a mountain, so it would need to be on the top of the mountain and above the treeline. It's a shame they don't have a running creek on the property for a hydro powered generator. That would be more cost effective.

@wolfgangpreier9160 11 месяцев назад

@@greenbubbleboy5673 Look decent, but under 50 meters/150 feet diameter they are completely worthless. Only in permanent strong winds e.g. in Alaska or Antarctica smaller turbines produce more power than they cost.

@ksemery 11 месяцев назад

Wow! What a Plethora of Information. We are Learning through you. And HAPPY MOTHERS DAY Courtney! 💐💕 🍼

@sandie062985 11 месяцев назад

Congrats to both of with the little helper and a Happy Mother’s Day ❤❤❤❤❤❤

@justinvierra1028 11 месяцев назад

The baby! Congratulations and excited to read that mom and baby are doing great!

@ThePirateGod 11 месяцев назад

Absolutely love these videos. Trying to get a 200+Kw array system setup for the farm with 3 phase. Its crazy how many options are out there.

@niktak1114 11 месяцев назад

How much energy do you use per day and what are your biggest loads?

@ThePirateGod 11 месяцев назад

@niktak1114 winter load is roughly 100kwh per day as the house and out building are 100% electric heat and being in Canada and -40° in the winter. And there will be a 100'x400' shop that will be powered by it too. And winter light is 6.5hr/day

@Raphmatic5000 4 месяца назад

I've always been curious about off-grid living and this was a super helpful video, thank you so much for this!

@ServioUribe 3 месяца назад

Thank you for this video. This video is the one to keep for future reference. Again, Thank You!

@arthyland 11 месяцев назад

Nice to meet Oliver !! , he looks quite snug and content. Your off grid living is working very well indeed.

@gomezmario.f 11 месяцев назад

I am curious how the extra solar panels on the balcony/upper outside area contributes to the system.

@om617yota8 11 месяцев назад

It'll unfortunately be fairly small. They're mostly pointed the wrong direction, summer and winter both. No doubt they'll help, but their main goal was balcony cover.

@fitzer01 11 месяцев назад

Really enjoy all your videos and content. I’m currently building my own house in Dublin, Ireland and seeing all your achievements really helps drive me on👊

@miguelfernandez15 7 месяцев назад

Very inspiring. Another recent offgrid here but in a very very sunnier latitude. All muy fears hace gone watching you guys. Thanks for the video!

@donalddodson7365 11 месяцев назад

Great update, thank you. So happy Oliver is already making on screen appearances. 🤗 Around 14 minutes Bailey was to the left of Courtney and looked like she had a comment, but was too polite to butt in. 🤣 Great to see Boone performing for treats. We started using Thrive Market delivery in 2020 and have been very pleased. Do they deliver to your door?

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

We like to joke that someday we’ll know we’ve succeeded on the road if we can get packages delivered to our front door. 😂

@dscottpeterson6653 11 месяцев назад

First time I've watched an ad all the way through. Nice to see the little man.

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

At least his feet anyway… 😂

@thoughtuk 11 месяцев назад

Well done guys, great seeing what you have achieved and your journey so far.

@richardhince9764 5 месяцев назад

This video is great. I'm about to install a much smaller system where I live in France, but the info you have given has been so informative - fantastic to have a real-world view on this stuff!

@josephquadros5290 10 месяцев назад

Have you considered adding wind power to add power during low-solar months of winter? Great video and impressive you guys had the courage to take the risks of going off-grid! Thanks!

@SEBTECHDIY 11 месяцев назад

It's a dream to have a self sufficient home with a nice solar panels array like you guys have! But not possible for me at the moment so I'm living the dream through your videos! ❤

@MegaDirtyberty 11 месяцев назад

Same here.

@kimmogensen5390 7 месяцев назад

it is possible to buy panels used for next to nothing, pow mr makes a combined solarchargecontroller 80A 450v, inverter 3kw ,with gennerator input for about 325$ good used lead acid batteries have fallen alot in prize since cheaper lipo4 asembled batteries have hit the market,, i am running a 3 kw panel system with the above mentioned pow mr unit and 18kw lipo4 battery storage for the whole system about 3500$ and i am offgrid , good luck

@AC-pr9vr 11 месяцев назад

Excellent video. Thanks for sharing. Will definitely be looking into this for myself.

@MrJramirex 5 месяцев назад

This helps me a lot. Im building an off grid home and your usage is very encouraging. Specially because I have a septic system so that is a massive energy saver. I'm starting with a AC coupled 11kw PV (Sunny Boy and 4 Sunny Islands) and 57kwh LiFePo4 bank. I do not plan on having any combustion appliances but the lowest temperature we have is in the 20s so should be manageable.

@scheinheilig1 11 месяцев назад

Ever thought about a small Wind Turbine in addition to solar for autumn and winter? They are inexpensive and winter storms should feed them well. And would be a nice video series for your channel 😊

@RickMyBalls 9 месяцев назад

How would grain help?

@therosses5 8 месяцев назад

I live in N Idaho, as well. I cannot find any reliable info on cost effective wind generators. but that would help a great deal. I get a nice constant wind all year.

@hhkk6155 8 месяцев назад

They are living in the forest, so tall trees obstruct wind. But still it's a good idea, because in the winter any additional energy helps.

@MaritimeHomesteader 5 месяцев назад

Cheap small wind turbines are typically junk and can’t produce the claims that the company’s state. It’s mathematically impossible. It has to do with wind swept area and wind speed. The math doesn’t work. Some companies have a 3’ diameter turbine and call it a 2kW unit. Not happening. I install Bergey turbines which are out of Oklahoma. The 1kW unit which isn’t available any longer I don’t think has a 5’ rotor diameter and weighs 50 pounds and cost $3k for just the turbine. Tower and electronics installed is $10-12k. That’s not cheap. The 6kW unit has a 20’ rotor diameter or more and weighs 1000 pounds and cost $25k for the turbine. Cheap turbines are decorations. Real turbines are expensive.

@cassandrascott2613 4 месяца назад

Our turbines lasted two years, they burn out the bearings. Our electrician used to recommend them, but he said everybody ends up burning them out in 2-3 years

@intrepidzephyr 11 месяцев назад

Sweet! Great recap. I was going to say EV to soak up all that extra power, but you beat me to it. Now if you could find a flow battery sponsor, maybe that would help get through the bitter winter! Two separate aqueous solutions pass by a plate, so it’s a giant liquid battery. Already have the cheeto box to put one in 😉

@ednitsche8188 10 месяцев назад

Thank you for providing so much information. Very useful and helpful.

@chrisbrandt3642 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the honest review. Glad it has worked so well for you. I agree with your thought process as well. As time goes on prices will come down further and perform will go up to where you won't need a generator at all with enough panels and batteries.

@upnorthandpersonal 11 месяцев назад

I've got about the same size system as yours (although I did a DIY build), and going into my fourth year off-grid now. I'm at 63 degrees north here in Finland, so my December days are pretty much dark all day, so yeah, generator is required to charge the batteries. I use much less energy though; I use a wood gasification burner for heating and hot water in winter and I don't have an incinerator toilet :)

@BrianKrahmer 11 месяцев назад

i'm looking forward to getting a wood gasification boiler for my next off-grid house. i'm building not far from these guys next year

@andrew6446 11 месяцев назад

Hey you two, hope all is well

@freddien7 11 месяцев назад

Congrats on the Baby, Good seeing future Courtney and baby Riley.. Thank you for content while you both spend time with Baby, Thanks and Love from UK x x

@johnnyrocker73 11 месяцев назад

Glad to see how well your system turned out

@alanharriman23 11 месяцев назад

First I want to say,I love thrive market! Second, I must thank you for the inspiration on building my frames for my 20 panels. I used your design with the 2 inch pipe for a pivot point holding the 4 inch channel iron. I am building the second frame now having only been able to build one for use last winter. I am grid tied with with the local co-op electrical utility using a hybrid inverter allowing me to have 400 Ah (20.4 kWh) of LiFePO4 batteries backup. The co-op utility allows me to bank power for 12 months. A kW put in in excess of usage can be withdrawn in 12 months paying a distribution charge. I pray this arrangement is available long term! I will have the other 10 panels installed this week and will be generating in excess of my usage for the rest of the summer banking the excess for the winter months. My usage is very similar to yours 600 to 700 KW per month in winter. The 4 100Ah batteries will supply the critical loads panel for about two days in the case of loss of the grid power. The Sol-Arc inverter switches to battery backup so fast that all electrical functions, clocks etc., are maintained during the switch.

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

Wow that is an awesome system! The ability to use the grid as a long term “battery” is an interesting concept.

@ssoffshore5111 11 месяцев назад

I'd highly suggest signing some type of long-term contract if possible. Slowly but surely, all the gravy-train net metering programs across the country are changing over to far less favorable plans (unless you're grandfathered in under a previous contract). Under most of these new plans it's hardly worth sending the power back to the grid...

@donnahoffman1855 11 месяцев назад

Congratulations! I figured Oliver was here by now! Talk about a new adventure!! 💙 Also, I'm glad to see our old generator is still useful (but loud...lol)!

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

The generator was a champ this winter! I hope you have a wonderful Mother’s Day.

@donnahoffman1855 11 месяцев назад

@Ambition Strikes Happy 1st Mother's Day Courtney!! My day is relaxing since I had surgery a week ago. 🤗

@fakename8856 8 месяцев назад

I LOVE your Unimog! I have a 1975 MB4/94 with 11’ tall snowblower.

@paul_london 4 месяца назад

Great setup, thank you for sharing!

@rbartsch 11 месяцев назад

Great result! 😁 I suggest to use the excess solar power to produce hydrogen for a generator in winter. 😉

@w3bb0y 11 месяцев назад

Not many resources on this yet but it's something I'm also keen on. Electrolysis of demin water has so much potential

@Max24871 11 месяцев назад

You can't really store hydrogen that long, it just kinda dissipates from the tank

@lisam4503 11 месяцев назад

The easiest way is to get or make an anaerobic digester to turn cooking scraps and other waste into methane. You can run a generator off it or cook off it! If they ever got chickens or other livestock it would really amp up how much gas they could produce. There are people that power their car that way and other stuff.

@johnmiller8884 11 месяцев назад

Hydrogen is notoriously difficult to store in quantity over any length of time. Gaseous hydrogen, in addition to leaking through every valve no matter how careful you are, is exceedingly space consuming for the energy it provides. I like the idea of trying to store excess power for use in winter, but I think something like methane would be a better storage idea.

@giovannicintolo89 11 месяцев назад

I really love how you illustrate the effectiveness of a hybrid system of electrical generation. I think that too many people are hung up on promoting solar over fossil fuels, or vice versa, because they have an agenda. Your practical approach is a model of how the two can complement each other instead of being at war with one another. Well done, I hope your new family is doing well. All my best.

@RickMyBalls 9 месяцев назад

Not wanting to pollute... such an AGENDA!

@giovannicintolo89 9 месяцев назад

@@RickMyBalls exactly, lithium is a huge pollutant but great storer of energy. Fossil fuels are great energy but pollutants as well. Taking advantage of the best benefits of both makes sense. Generators are designed to run at peak efficiency when delivering power, lithium batteries store renewable energy when available, and fossil fuel generated power when needed. A great hybrid system by reasonably minded people.

@GirdHerd 11 месяцев назад

Thanks for the update on your solar/power system.

@ironmalice93 10 месяцев назад

Very informative, thank you so much! Very much appreciated information!

@icarusfarmsWV 11 месяцев назад

I’ve been anxiously awaiting this video as I need a long term solution to keep my batteries from freezing as I build our cabin. I’d thought of putting them in a basement but get a little nervous due to thermal runaway risks even though LFP batteries are safer than other lithium options. I’m on a steep mountainside and was thinking of some kind of root cellar near our array, putting something on the edge of my build site and burying it should be possible and would even serve a dual benefit of holding up the hillside. The questions I had were 1) will the geothermal be enough heat (we got down to -18 for a couple days this winter, unusually cold) and 2) the waterproofness and long term durability of a buried room. It seems like you guys answered the heat question, I wonder how weatherproof a shipping container will be, lifetime and if there is an alternative…. Right now my batteries are in my little shed in an insulated box with a chicken heater on a termocube, it worked but is not ideal.

@alskjflaksjdflakjdf 11 месяцев назад

Shipping containers are fairly watertight - they are built to be exposed to seawater and spray without damaging the contents of the container. Rather than relying on waterproofing, I would suggest you work on drainage. The enemy of a container will at some point be sustained exposure to moisture, so if you can drain the water away from the container where it is buried that will be your biggest help. Once you have drainage sorted out, any leaks become much less of an issue. Ambition Strikes avoided most of the drainage issues by only burying a part of the container, so any runoff from higher up the hill will tend to run around the container. Another resource might be to look up the average subsurface temperature for your area. I live about 500 miles north of Ambition Strikes and the subsurface temperature is 50 degrees f at its coldest (February) so there is quite a bit of warmth to be had. You just need enough insulation in the container because ground can only transmit heat so fast. One other thing to keep in mind is the size of their system. They have a large system and I would guess it generates some of its own heat just by being heavily relied on. If you have a 20kwh battery system, or one that you don't use much at night, you might find that your results aren't as good. At any rate, good luck!

@guytech7310 11 месяцев назад

My recommendations for this year would be septic system & well (if possible). Probably more important now that you have a baby. At least a water system that you can use to do laudry (if not a potable water source).

@AmbitionStrikes 11 месяцев назад

We have a crazy awesome water solution that we will get to share with you in a few weeks!

@ahorseman4ever1 11 месяцев назад

Thank you for the very informative video. It was great to see baby Oliver. I can't wait to see you doing your build and living videos. Seeing how you interact as a family. We just think the world of you two and now baby Oliver.

@darinswift490 2 месяца назад

Well done you two. Thanks for the info

@metamud8686 11 месяцев назад

If that inverter is truely on 24/7, it'll be the first thing that has 'something' wear out I guess. Unless nature decides to strike disaster at you and kill the solar panel array in some form. So it will indeed be interesting to see how soon that inverter dies out. Great job on pulling through winter like you did. 🙂 And ... congrats on the new arrival!

@silverbackag9790 11 месяцев назад

Probably good for 25-30 years.

@metamud8686 11 месяцев назад

@@silverbackag9790 I've not heard anyone actually make that. I do see people reporting the first things failing after 5 years or so. Then repairs under warranty, but still .. downtime and waiting for parts or shipment there-and-back for repairs. Like I said, it'll be interesting to see how long things last out there in practice.

@BrianKrahmer 11 месяцев назад

@@silverbackag9790 how many pieces of electronic equipment do you have that are 25 years old? or that you could find in anyone's house that you know? some of the panels will last that long if they don't get destroyed by hail or fire, but none of the electronics will

@silverbackag9790 11 месяцев назад

@@metamud8686 do you mean Victron specifically? Or in general? Victron is at the tail end of tier one brands. Any tier one device should make 20-30 years. SMA, Outback, Schneider, Victron, maybe Magnum (but they’ve been having issues and moved manufacturing after a buyout). Cheap assed Growatts and other Chinesium? Probably not so much. I wouldn’t trust my primary power to inferior products unless it was a stop gap. I try to avoid magic smoke.

@silverbackag9790 11 месяцев назад

@@BrianKrahmer one Trace inverter (the predecessor to Schneider and Outback) that around 28 years and an Outback that’s around 20 years. Both getting retired for backup duties since we installed a 24kw continuous SMA setup served by 120KWH of lithium iron phosphate to support both my new shop and my mom’s existing house. SMA warranties for 10 years and offers an extension for 20. Oh, and a Pioneer SX1250 from the mid 1970s. You know nothing John Snow. Any more questions?

@sarahb.8186 11 месяцев назад

Great video! always a pleasure to watch. Good luck for you and your new falimy member. What I'm interessted to know how adds the new terrace roof solar panels to the system?

@roberttribbie9179 11 месяцев назад

It's very cool you guys are/have been, tracking this information. Seems most folk just plug stuff in and walk away from it until something breaks then, make a negative production about the products. I couldn't get a grasp on your generator use from a maintenance perspective but, using it for a couple of months followed by 10 months of downtime... You may consider preventative maintenance runs once a month (maybe once every two months depending on that unit). Start it let it warm up to running temp for a few minutes, idle er down and shut it off (certainly take advantage of its power while its running). Just info, happy to see BabyKins is making the videos and that all are doing well ❤

@jamesmckelvy5441 11 месяцев назад

What if you installed some metal roofing on the ground below your solar panels? Maybe That would help the snow slide down the hill.

@adamhunter1612 11 месяцев назад

You should get an emporia Vue 2 it's smart wifi device that goes in fuse box clips amp meter around two main phases and upto 16 circuits at the breaker so you can see exactly where power is being used and it records so you can see historical usage

@jcdc650 11 месяцев назад

We use this too and I have it integrated w/Home Assistant to keep my stats locally (just in case Emporia goes flat or wants to start charging for storage.)

@josephpatterson2722 11 месяцев назад

I have one...no solar yet adding in the near future. I got the emporia to learn what and where all my power goes so that I could better design my system. as a note, my water heater average is 130/month, fridge is 70/month, heatpump varies alot with temp 100-600/month. as a comparison, everthing in our home is electric and its 2 adults and a teenager (who knows not an off switch) LOL My goal is to add 6k of solar panels to reduce bill by 70% and add 30kw of battery for power outages. may go off grid in future

@adamhunter1612 11 месяцев назад

@@jcdc650 same im in UK though and our consumer units are much smaller than American ones im proud of how neat I got it haha but of course any excuse to add more to my homeassistant server also

@firefly2472 11 месяцев назад

Question, does it work good (emporia vue 2 )? Have you the stock firmware or did u flash it ? I have been looking at one to buy but have seen some negative feedback from ppl from the software.

@firefly2472 11 месяцев назад

@@jcdc650 does it work good for you ? Stock firmware ?

@TerenceD63 11 месяцев назад

I love that you have the baby with you through your supporters adds ... ❤️

@Kranky_Bloke 11 месяцев назад

That sounds like a fantastic setup you have there, and the water collection thing sounds really cool. 👍

@brianasamuels 11 месяцев назад

Since it is the middle of winter that you use the generator, it seems a back up generator would be a modest cost with a significant safety factor. Otherwise fantastic job guys! I have 12.5k solar panels with 20 kW of battery storage and three generators one diesel , one propane, and one gasoline. I also utilize a bank of 20 car batteries for extra storage and provide electric to heat the lithium batteries if necessary. My diesel generator can utilized waste oil. My ultimate goal is to catch and train a herd of groundhogs to do something worthwhile like running a generator wheel instead of tearing up my yard! L O L