When you decide to generate power with a solar system, you’ll have to choose one of two options. The first is to live on the grid. While the second is to live off the grid on Maui. So, what does it mean to live off the grid on Maui?
What’s living off the grid on Maui?
Living off the grid on Maui means your solar system is absolutely responsible for producing the electricity you need to power your home or business. You’re not connected to any other form of electricity such as the utility grid.
When you’re living off the grid with your solar system, you have to provide a back-up battery for storing the excess energy that is produced by your solar PV panels. Once you have all of this setup, you’ll end up with a 100% self-sustaining system. But why should you consider living off the grid on Maui?
Why should you go off the grid on Maui?
If you decide to live on the grid on Maui, you’re required to pay HELCO or MECO to connect your home to grid power. The amount of money you’ll have to pay for that could be anywhere within $30,000 and above. Worst still, the cost of connecting your home to grid power has zero tax benefits and no financial benefits.
But if you decide to live off the grid on Maui, your solar PV system will have a tax benefit of 65%. This means that you may end up paying about $21,000 for a $60,000 solar PV system. This is far better than the cost of installing grid power such as connecting your home to the grid.
Even more, when you’re living off the grid, you no longer have to bother about electricity bills and that goes for about 30 years. Imagine the amount of money you’d save for not paying electricity bills for the next 30 years. Better still, the price of lithium batteries has fallen significantly in recent years. Also, these batteries are durable and can last for about 12 to 20 years and above. You can learn more about on-grid and off-grid living.
What solar panel is the best for off-grid living on Maui?
The type of solar PV panels you need is one of the key things to consider when living off the grid. If you want the most efficient solar panels that can generate the most energy, you’ll need a monocrystalline solar panel. These solar panels are the most durable.
The best part is that you only need a few amounts of monocrystalline solar panels to generate as much energy as a large number of other types of solar panels. However, monocrystalline solar panels are the most expensive.
Next in line to monocrystalline solar panels are polycrystalline. These solar panels are also efficient and durable though not as durable and efficient as monocrystalline. However, polycrystalline is less expensive compared to monocrystalline. You can compare on-grid living vs off-grid living on Maui.
Thin-film solar panels are next in line. These solar panels are cheaper than the previous two mentioned earlier. They are also less durable and generate less amount of energy. You’ll need a lot of thin-film solar panels to be able to generate a similar amount of energy as a few monocrystalline solar panels.
What are the benefits of living off the grid on Maui?
- You’ll save a substantial amount in electricity bills every month
- Preserve the entire island by lowering the carbon footprint
- You’ll avoid general power outages
- You’ll have the freedom of generating your own electricity
- An off-grid solar system is faster and easier to install
- You won’t have to pay HELCO or MECO a huge amount without benefits