Table of Contents
There are many motivations for exploring off-grid solar power systems in 2025.
Perhaps you want to protect your family by prepping for natural disasters or other catastrophic events.
Or maybe you want to save on electricity bills and achieve home energy security.
No matter what your reason, you must do your research to make an informed decision about generating some or all of your residential electricity off-grid.
Luckily, we’ve put everything you need to consider in one handy place.
Read on to learn more.
What Is Meant by Going Off-Grid?
Going off-grid means disconnecting from public utilities, generating your own resources, and achieving independence from public or private infrastructure.
Some people choose to go completely off-grid, but it’s more common to become self-sufficient at producing one (or several) of the following modern necessities.
Electricity
When people talk about going off-grid, they’re usually referring to electricity — and with good reason.
Blackouts and extended power outages are increasing in frequency and severity…
Viable alternatives to utility grid power provide home energy security, slash or eliminate electricity bills, and earn a healthy return on investment over the mid-to-long term.
For most people, solar panels are the best way to generate electricity off-grid.
But other options do exist, including:
- Small wind energy systems
- Micro-hydropower generators
- Gas generators
- Inverter generators
Wind and hydropower systems require special conditions, like a one-acre footprint or access to fast-running water.
Gas, propane, and inverter generators require access to fuel to produce electricity, making it far more expensive per kilowatt-hour than buying electricity from the grid.
Solar generators are by far the most accessible and affordable means of generating electricity off-grid.
More on off-grid solar below.
Water
Access to clean drinking water is something almost all Americans take for granted.
But if you’re prepping to go truly off-grid, you’ll need to source and manage your own supply of potable water.
Many people in rural areas rely on well and pump systems, which may be an option depending on your location and access to groundwater.
Otherwise, you can harvest rainwater using various methods or take water from nearby lakes or streams.
In most instances, you’ll require a water purification system to ensure the water is truly safe to drink.
Ensuring a reliable drinking water supply without access to public utilities is no easy feat.
Many preppers plan to rely on massive supplies of bottled water instead.
Sewage
Septic systems for human waste are regularly used in many parts of the country.
They’re relatively easy to purchase and install should you lack access or wish to disconnect from utility sewage systems.
Composting toilets are another option.
If you’re going fully off-grid, consider installing a greywater system that reuses wastewater from sinks and showers to minimize water wastage.
Space Heating and Cooling
Depending on seasonality at your location, particularly extreme cold or heat, you may need to heat or cool your dwelling for at least part of the year.
Heating is straightforward as long as you have access to a reliable source of firewood.
Woodburning stoves can be extremely efficient for space heating, or you can always use a fireplace.
Passive solar energy can also be harnessed to heat water or your home.
Unlike photovoltaic systems that generate electricity from visible light, passive solar systems capture thermal energy — heat.
Cooling is trickier, but options do exist.
For example, EcoFlow’s WAVE 2 portable air conditioner supports up to 400W of direct solar charging — you can plug a 400W portable solar panel directly into the unit.
Food
Living off the land sounds romantic, and it’s certainly possible, but it requires a great deal of effort to supply all of your own food.
More frequently, people become partially self-sufficient rather than abandoning supermarkets completely.
Examples include:
- Growing vegetables, fruit, and herbs
- Raising livestock
- Foraging for mushrooms and other wild edible plants
Why Should You Go Off-Grid?
Now that we’ve covered what it means to go completely off-grid, let’s narrow our focus to electricity.
After all, that’s what most people mean when they say they’re “going off-grid.”
By far the easiest way to generate electricity off-grid is to use solar panels and a portable power station or other balance of system.
Solar generators are available for virtually any off-grid electricity application — from backpacking to powering an entire home.
There are many reasons to generate and store some or all of your power without relying on the grid, including:
Energy Security
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in extreme weather events, like heatwaves and blizzards, and natural disasters like the California wildfires, which left four million people without power.
Aging grid infrastructure is increasingly unable to meet skyrocketing demand for electricity from EVs, artificial intelligence, and the growing need for air conditioning and heating.
Building new power plants to meet demand is a time-consuming process — which means more blackouts to come.
Even if you’re not going completely off-grid, having reliable home backup power from a whole-house solar generator can ensure your family’s energy security during extended power outages.
(Source: EIA)
Energy Independence
Despite the growth in utility-scale electricity generation from renewables, about 60% of the total US supply comes from fossil fuels, primarily natural gas and coal.
While President Trump has vowed to put a halt to federal government spending on new wind farms, it’s unclear how utility-scale solar will be affected.
But, it seems unlikely that the US will become less dependent on fossil fuels to generate electricity in the near future.
Many factors completely outside your control can impact the price of fossil fuels and cause electricity bills to skyrocket.
By reducing (or eliminating) your need for utility grid power by generating your own electricity, you can achieve energy independence at home.
Electricity Bill Savings
If you go off-grid full-time, electricity bills are a thing of the past.
But even if you opt for a hybrid solar system, you can save a significant amount of money on energy bills and enjoy the peace of mind that comes from having reliable home backup.
And not just by decreasing consumption from the power grid…
Utility and power companies in the US use Time-of-Use rates, which means you pay a higher price for electricity during peak demand hours — which vary by provider and state.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra is a whole home solar generator with multiple charging options — including grid power.
You can easily program it to only draw utility power during off-peak billing hours or when the battery is nearly depleted.
Integrating DELTA Pro Ultra with EcoFlow Smart Home Panel 2 and your home circuit board gives you the ultimate in intelligent monitoring and remote control from anywhere with an internet connection.
Disaster Prep
People have said that the end is coming for centuries…
But now DOES feel like a uniquely perilous time — at least for many of us.
Here are some of the reasons why so many people are prepping today for what could happen tomorrow.
- Civil and political unrest at home
- Ongoing wars and geopolitical tensions overseas
- Natural disasters
- Climate change
- Concerns about aging infrastructure
If SHTF does happen, owning a reliable off-grid power source is one of the best ways to prep.
Climate Change
Not everyone believes that climate change and recent extreme weather events are caused by human-made greenhouse gas and carbon emissions.
But if you believe the evidence and want to reduce your carbon footprint, there’s no better way than switching to clean, renewable solar to cut down on your family’s greenhouse gas emissions.
Except arguably, buying an EV — depending on how much you drive.
Understanding the Key Components of Off-Grid Solar Systems
Off-grid solar power systems come in all different shapes and sizes, but they all rely on the same basic components to function.
Here are the essential components in descending order on the power chain — from harvesting sunlight to AC output.
Photovoltaic Modules (Solar Panels)
All solar energy systems that generate electricity from sunlight do so using the photovoltaic effect.
Photovoltaic (PV) modules — like solar panels or shingles — harvest photons from visible light to produce direct current (DC) electricity.
Charge Controller
The DC power collected by solar panels is transmitted to a solar charge controller.
In grid-connected solar power systems, direct current electricity is first sent to a solar inverter, then consumed or transmitted to the grid through a bidirectional meter.
However, off-grid and hybrid solar systems require battery storage to work.
All renewable energy sources are intermittent.
Wind turbines don’t generate electricity on still days.
Solar panels don’t work at night.
An MPPT charge controller processes the raw DC electricity from PV modules to protect the solar battery and extract the maximum available power.
PWM charge controllers are also available but are far less efficient.
Battery Management System
Most advanced off-grid solar systems have a battery management system built in to optimize performance.
Solar Battery
Solar batteries and PV modules are at the heart of every off-grid photovoltaic system.
Without a battery to store the electricity that solar panels generate, off-grid PV systems wouldn’t work at night.
Even during the day, solar panels don’t always achieve their full rated power output.
On cloudy days, solar panel output is reduced.
A solar battery ensures you always have enough electricity on tap.
EcoFlow solar generators and portable power stations have lithium iron phosphate (LFP/LifePO4) batteries built-in, along with all the other necessary components, with the exception of solar panels and cables.
There are many different types of solar batteries, but what sets them apart is chemistry.
Here are the most efficient solar battery chemistries with the longest lifespan and best performance, in descending order.
- Flooded lead-acid (FLA)
- Sealed lead-acid (SLA)
- Absorbent glass mat (AGM)
- Gel cell (Gel)
- Lithium-ion (Li-ion)
- Lithium nickel manganese cobalt (NMC)
- Lithium iron phosphate (LFP/LiFePO4)
Sealed or valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries like AGM and Gel are often marketed as deep cycle or maintenance-free but offer inferior cycle life and performance compared to Li-ion, particularly LFP solar batteries.
Solar Inverter
Solar panels generate direct current electricity, which is stored in a solar battery.
However, household appliances and consumer electronic devices run on alternating current (AC) electricity.
A solar inverter converts DC electricity to AC electricity for output and use.
There are some DC-to-DC applications, usually for high-wattage systems like heating and air conditioning, but most of the time, you’re going to need AC electricity.
Cables and Wiring
Cables or wiring are required to connect the solar panels in series or parallel and then to the portable power station or charge controller.
Factors to Consider When Building an Off-Grid Solar System
If you want to go off-grid with solar power, it’s essential to do your homework.
The last thing you want is to invest in a system only to find out it doesn’t meet your off-grid electricity needs.
Determine Your Energy Requirements
In many ways, this step is the most important.
You need to determine which appliances you want to operate simultaneously, then estimate how long you want to run them before recharging your solar battery.
Understanding the difference between starting and running watts for home appliances is essential with any off-grid generator — whether solar or fossil fuel.
Many appliances — especially those with motors like refrigerators — require significantly more “surge power” to start than to run.
Fossil fuel generators typically can’t provide much surge power above their maximum AC output, at best around 10%.
Thanks to proprietary X-Boost technology, most EcoFlow solar generators can produce twice their maximum AC output in a short burst to start high-wattage appliances.
For example, EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 offers 4000W continuous AC output, 6000W of operating output,
and 8000W surge.
Learn how to calculate your household electricity requirements here.
(Source: Solargis)
Calculate Your Solar Potential
The amount of sunlight you receive each day — technically global horizontal irradiance — directly determines how much electricity you can generate based on the number, type, and rated power of PV modules you install at your location.
Obviously, it’s impossible to know with any certainty exactly how many hours of indirect or peak sunlight you’ll receive in the future — especially from day to day.
Luckily, historical data regarding solar irradiance and electricity generation potential at your location are accurate enough predictors to allow you to make an informed decision regarding the size of your solar panel array.
Fortunately, you don’t even have to do the math.
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory makes it easy.
Check out NREL’s PVWatts calculator to check out your zip code here.
Size Your Solar Panel System
Once you’ve researched how much sunshine you get at your location and how much power you need to generate, you’re ready to determine how many solar panels and how powerful a balance of system you need.
Calculate how many solar panels you need.
Plan Your Installation
Getting the direction, angle, and tilt of solar panels right to optimize electricity generation is an art in itself.
Whether you’re mounting PV modules on the ground, rooftop, or elsewhere, position them to receive the maximum hours of direct sunlight each day, typically between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. depending on your location.
It’s essential to avoid obstructions and shade wherever possible, as one obstructed panel can reduce the power output of your entire array.
How Much Does It Cost to Go Off Grid With Solar?
Numerous factors go into determining how much it will cost you to go off-grid with solar power.
Here’s a summary of each.
Power Output Requirement in Kilowatts
The maximum amount of electricity you need to output to run your home off-grid is a primary factor in how much your system will cost.
For example, there’s a substantial difference in price between a 5kW and a 10kW system.
It’s best to buy a system that can produce at least 20% more AC or DC output than you think you’ll need — and don’t forget the starting watts!
Even better, buy a modular system with expandable AC output and storage, like EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra.
Here are the current pricing and specs for 3 common configurations.*
| 1 x EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra + 1 x Battery (AC Output: 7,200W/30A Storage Capacity: 6kWh) | |
| Device or Appliance | Average Wattage |
| Light | 10W |
| Television | 110W |
| Washing Machine | 1000W |
| Microwave Oven | 1000W |
| Refrigerator | 300W |
| Central AC | (3 Tons/3.6kW) |
| Total | 7,200W |
| Estimated Cost | $5,199 |
| 2 x EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra + 3 x Battery (AC Output: 14,400W/60A Storage Capacity: 18kWh) | |
| Device or Appliance | Average Wattage |
| Light | 10W |
| Television | 110W |
| Washing Machine | 1000W |
| Refrigerator | 300W |
| Central AC | (3 Tons/3.6kW) |
| Electric Oven | 4kW |
| Dishwasher | 1.3kW |
| Induction Cooker | 3kW |
| Total | 15,500W |
| Estimated Cost | $13,500 |
| 3 x EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra + 6 x Battery (AC Output: 21,600W/90A Storage Capacity: 36kWh) | |
| Device or Appliance | Average Wattage |
| Light | 10W |
| Television | 110W |
| Washing Machine | 1000W |
| Refrigerator | 300W |
| Central AC | (3 Tons/3.6kW) |
| Electric Oven | 4kW |
| Dishwasher | 1.3kW |
| Induction Cooker | 3kW |
| Electric Car | 6kW |
| Coffee Maker | 1.5kW |
| Total | 20,820W |
| Estimated Cost | $24,000 |
Learn more about pricing a whole-house solar generator here.
Number of Solar Panels Required
The number and type of solar panels you need to recharge your solar battery each day significantly impacts the cost of your system.
Don’t be tempted by cheap polycrystalline or thin-film solar panels.
High efficiency monocrystalline portable or rigid solar panels generate more electricity per square meter of photovoltaic cells, which is especially important in low-light conditions and with limited installation space.
Battery Storage Requirements in Kilowatt-Hours
Due to solar power’s intermittency, it’s essential to have sufficient solar battery storage to provide enough electricity for your requirements during the night and days with indirect sunlight.
Again, a modular battery system is your best bet.
That way, you can test your system in real-world conditions and buy additional batteries if required.
EcoFlow DELTA Pro Ultra starts at 6kWh of storage, and you can add up to a maximum of 15 backup batteries for a total of 90kWh.
Remember that EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 and DELTA Pro Ultra come with multiple charging options in addition to solar, including 800W alternator charging from your truck or RV and gas or inverter generators.
Just in case.
Brand and Manufacturer
There are a lot of fly-by-night solar companies looking to cash in on the boom in home solar systems.
Many of which are based overseas and don’t even have offices in the US.
If SHTF or natural disasters do happen, replacement parts and repairs will be difficult to come by.
Invest in a reputable manufacturer with a substantial presence in the United States.
EcoFlow provides off-grid solar and home battery solutions in over 100 countries and has multiple awards for design and quality.
It’s the leading designer and manufacturer of solar generators and portable power stations worldwide.
Like most things in life, you get what you pay for.
Caveat emptor.
Tax Break Eligibility
Photovoltaic systems, solar panels, and home batteries that provide over 3kWh of storage are eligible for the 30% Solar Tax Credit on the total purchase and installation costs of qualified systems.
Including EcoFlow DELTA Pro 3 and DELTA Pro Ultra.
Learn how to apply for the Residential Clean Energy Credit here.
Depending on your location, you can likely apply for state, private, and local government incentives, too.
Don’t leave free money on the table.
Final Thoughts
No matter your reasons for wanting to generate electricity off-grid, it’s essential to make an informed purchase decision.
Carefully evaluate this guide and check out the resources listed.
It may seem intimidating at first, but you’ll soon figure it out!
EcoFlow designs, manufactures, and retails hybrid and off-grid solar generators and portable power stations for every application.
Check out our selection today.