Twl, you're living my dream! My next house is definitely going to be off grid. I just wanted to weigh in on the air conditioning issue. It's not impossible. Geothermal heat pumps are about twice as efficient as regular air source heat pumps and make it feasible, but still expensive. As a side benefit, they can also produce hot water. However, unless you're made of cash, you're going to need to reduce the conditioned space requirement under 2000 sq ft. and take some steps to reduce the solar gain during the summer months, like correct overhangs, berming the structure, etc. I figured in designing my future solar house (1700 sq.ft.) I would need about a 4KW array and run the oven and dryer off propane in order to make it feasible to have air conditioning using a geothermal heat pump.
Home Power is a great solar-oriented magazine. You can read the issue online for free or you can subscribe. The address is www.homepower.com .
Home Power is a great solar-oriented magazine. You can read the issue online for free or you can subscribe. The address is www.homepower.com .