Book Review of Living Off Grid:
an Introduction to Using Off-Grid Solar Electricity by Zeke Yewdall
painting/book cover by Zeke Yewdall
We’re excited this introduction to off-grid solar by long-time solar designer and installer Zeke Yewdall is finally out. It couldn’t be more timely. Did you think we’d settle for just one review? Heck no, but we stopped at two. Feel free to comment below.
Reviewed by Paul Landskroener
Living Off the Grid: An Introduction to using Off-Grid Solar Electricity by Zeke Yewdall (reviewed by Paul Landskroener)
This book’s title says what it’s all about. It’s an introduction – a driver’s manual, the author says – not a technical manual; it has a practical focus on “using” – not a theoretical treatise; and it devotes nearly all its time to off-grid solar electricity – not other forms of harnessing solar energy (e.g., for hot water heating) and on off-grid applications (though it contains a lot to help understand grid-connected solar electricity as well). I think the book does very well at what it sets out to do.
Some chapters focus on technical aspects of off-grid solar electricity, including understandable explanations of the basic physics of electrical production (the difference between energy and power, AC and DC, volts and amps, series and parallel circuits). As an on-grid solar user, I found these to be very helpful and easy to understand. I appreciated the author’s use of analogies to explain the concepts.
Other chapters focus on specific aspects necessary to design an effective and efficient off-grid solar electricity production (and storage) system. These chapters were comprehensive, well-organized, and just detailed enough to help an amateur like me understand what he was talking about.
What I liked most was the lack of ideological fervor. The author obviously cares deeply about solar-produced electricity, but he is never pie-in-the-sky about it. He warns against and debunks many romantic notions about solar-produced electricity in favor of a clear-headed explanation of the pros and cons of the myriad of decisions one has to make in designing and building an off-grid system. He tells you where the cost-effectiveness curves cross and where reasonable compromises must be made.
And I liked his emphasis throughout that off-grid solar electricity is not “easy”—you have to pay attention to so many things and there are costs to every decision. It’s not a set-it-and-forget it operation. He makes these clear and matter-of-fact; one does not come away saying either “oh, this is too hard to understand” or “this is so easy anyone can do it.”
Because his focus is on designing off-grid applications, as someone who already has a grid-connected solar and battery system I didn’t pay as much attention to the details in some chapters as someone genuinely considering an off-grid use would, but I learned so much about how my system work, and what I can do to make it run more effectively and efficiently that I found the book very useful even though I wasn’t in its primary target audience.
Finally, his style of writing is very engaging. He skillfully strikes the right balance between technical precision and practical usefulness to make the reading undaunting (as it might not have been in another less-adept author’s hands).
I recommend the book to any lay person who is interesting in understanding the basics of solar electricity generation and storage from a practical perspective, as well as anyone who is seriously interested in designing an off-grid system.
Paul Landskroener is a mountain resident with a solar installation.
Reviewed by Ota Luz
If you're considering living off-grid, or even if you are just thinking about a small off-grid solar-powered system for camping or emergencies, read this book! The author walks you through, in plain language, all the things you need to think about in advance to determine if living off-grid is for you. And, if the answer to that question is yes, you can read on to learn all the basics of planning your off-grid life.
In addition to outlining the essentials of living off-grid, this book explains some of the technical basics many of us may have learned in school but forgot, such as the difference between power and energy. The author explains these concepts clearly using relevant examples, making understanding accessible to all, regardless of technical background.
From calculating your energy use to determining where to mount your solar panels to choosing your battery type and generator specs, this book has it all for a beginner. The author introduces important aspects of off-grid living, such as load shifting and equipment maintenance, to help newbies manage expectations of an off-grid PV system. All of this is conveyed using clear language and a straightforward manner, making the book an informative and easy read.
You won't be able to design your own off-grid system after reading this book, but you will be able to determine if the lifestyle is a fit, speak knowledgeably with a professional PV system designer, and be equipped to weigh in on some of the design decisions so you get the most out of your off-grid power system.
Ota Luz is a mountain resident living off grid with solar.