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A grid tie inverter is a specific type of inverter that will let you take the electricity you generate with installations like solar panels or wind turbines and sell it back to the power company.

US citizens have the right, as stated in the 1978 Federal Public Utilities Regulatory Policies Act (PURPA), to sell renewable energy to their local power company. This law was introduced after the 1973 Arab oil embargo and is just as relevant today.

A standard power inverter simply converts DC electricity to AC, which is needed for appliances in the home. Inverters also convert the 12 or 24 volt electricity your installation is generating to 120 volts. While inverters are a basic part of any renewable energy system, you can’t use just any inverter to sell power back to the grid. The AC power that comes from an inverter, at 120 volts and 60 cycles per second, is basically the same as power that comes directly from the grid. However, it’s probable that the two sources of electricity are out of phase with one another. If your inverter’s electricity is cycling up when the grid’s is cycling down, sending your electricity there won’t be possible. The answer to the problem is a grid tie inverter. This type of inverter keeps your inverter in sync with the grid.

A grid tie inverter is useful in other ways as well. As a rule, electricity will flow from higher voltage to lower voltage. This is how battery charging works. The charger will have a higher voltage than the battery, so the electricity moves from the charger to the battery. This is why a 12 volt battery needs a charger of over 12 volts.

By that principle, it’s necessary to have electricity of a slightly higher voltage than that of the grid in order to send your electricity there. This is another way in which a grid tie inverter comes in handy, as it monitors and regulates voltage levels as well. Your excess higher voltage electricity will flow out to the grid, and your power meter will run backwards.

Grid tie inverters are more expensive than basic inverters because of their increased functionality. The opportunity to actually make money with your renewable energy system, though, means that a grid tie inverter is well worth the investment. A grid tie inverter will also provide AC power for appliances in your home as well, so it can actually provide a solution of all of your energy needs.

The idea of off grid living appeals to many people. You can get more information by visiting Off Grid Living.

For more information about the components of solar power system, visit Solar How To.

If you are looking for the best DIY charger plans with step-by-step videos, check out DIY Solar Charger.

The rising cost of energy is making more people think about off grid living every day. Unplugging from the electric grid and producing all of your own power is now entirely possible. By utilizing wind turbines or solar panels, many homeowners are generating their own power, assuming their system is sized correctly. You can take at least your first step towards off grid living by producing some of your own power.

We will discuss solar power first. Solar panels are a great option for supplying power to many homes and can work in all parts of the world, even in remote areas or places with a harsh environment. The only requirement is lots of sunlight and some hardware. For the do-it-yourselfer, the best guide to building a diy solar panel is GreenDIYEnergy.  You can build a solar power system that is as large or small as required and it can even be portable if your living arrangements are mobile. Solar panels are tough, require very little maintenance and can last up to 20 years if properly cared for.

Any solar power system will include a number of solar panels that are connected together. In the northern hemisphere, solar panels should be pointed directly south for maximum power output. Some solar power systems use panels that rotate so they always point directly at the sun, though with more recent solar panels this is less important than it was with older panels. With more recent solar panels, stationary panels work quite well as long as they are pointed directly south and at the correct vertical angle.  For an article about how to build your own solar panel, visit Build Solar Panel.

Direct Current (DC) electricity is produced by solar cells and can be used to charge batteries to power any DC appliance. Electricity can be provided at night or when the sun isn’t shining by charging batteries during the day.

If you want to provide electricity to Alternating Current (AC) appliances like you typically have around your home, you will need a power inverter. The power inverter will take power from both solar panels and batteries and convert it into AC electricity.

A wind turbine can also be used to generate the power that will enable you to begin living off grid. You can mount a modern wind turbine on a pole or tower, or perhaps even on the roof of your home. These modern wind turbines are fairly small and quite efficient. One advantage of a wind turbine over solar panels is they can generate power all day and all night as well. As long as the wind is blowing, a wind turbine can produce electricity.  For information about making a diy wind generator, check out Earth4Energy Review.

You can install both a wind turbine and solar panels together. You can use the same power inverter and batteries with both solar and wind and this setup can give you the best of both worlds. If it is sunny and calm, the solar panels will provide most of the power and if it overcast and windy or at night the wind turbine will take over.

Using either or both of these systems can provide enough electricity to enable you to pull the plug and start living off grid. They will let you take your first step towards completely pulling the plug.

Let’s face it, living off-grid, in that you don’t receive electricity from regular power supply companies, is becoming increasingly popular. In fact, while it may sound a little strange at first, more and more people are striving to become totally independent, not only with regards to power, but also with regards to other utilities and services.

Off-grid living allows you to be independent and as such, you get to be in control of your own life. Of course, the downside to this is, you’ll need to accept full responsibility for providing your own utilities and services for which you’ve become accustomed to paying others for. However, if this seems like an acceptable trade off, it may very well be an ideal solution for you.

With technology continuing to advance rapidly, getting off-grid has never been as easy as it is today. The vast majority of people who seek this type of life usually choose remote areas but unfortunately, such opportunities are fast disappearing. However, innovative people are continuously discovering ways which will afford them the lifestyle they long for without having to move so far away. Living completely off the grid still remains a challenge for those living in cities, but that’s not to say it can’t be done.

Wind power and solar power are currently the most popular choices for those looking to live off-grid. The effectiveness of these depends largely on the location of your home. For example, solar power won’t be much good to those who live too far north as they don’t receive enough direct sunlight. Likewise, wind power will only be a viable option to those who live in areas that gets consistent winds. If for example you only get wind when there’s a storm, it won’t be sufficient to power your home and in fact, high winds only serve to damage the generators, rather than generate extra power.

Ideally, you need to first determine which options are viable in the area where you live. Once you have determined this, you need to establish how good a system you can buy with your available budget. Even with an ideal system you are at the mercy of breakdowns and emergencies and as such, you need to cost in for back-up batteries and fuel.

Remember, batteries are in fact the most costly aspect of any system but then again, they do determine how much power you are capable of storing. Once you go off-grid, you’re on your own, with nothing to fall back on. On the other hand, if the power goes down in your area, you’ll be one of the few who couldn’t care less.

The good news is, the costs involved with regards to going off-grid can be reduced to a certain extent. You will be make savings over a period of time but for the most part, it takes quite a while before a system pays for itself. For this reason, some states are offering tax credits. While these certainly don’t cover all the costs of living off-grid, they certainly do help.

Steven C. Jones writes about renewable energy on his blog. Go and read more on solar power, wind power and living off grid.

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