OFF-GRID SHACK

I first got interested in solar because I wanted a better way to power my building.

In May 2021, I bought my first solar panels and started planning a system. I was still working through the design weeks after buying them. I eventually sold those panels, but I kept the notes, diagrams, and forum discussions from the project.

Later that year, the Mayfield, Kentucky tornado caused a long power outage. A generator kept things running, but I had to run extension cords through a cracked door in the cold. A couple months later, I installed a Reliance through-the-wall power inlet so I could bring power inside without running cords through the door.

After I moved, powering the building from the house meant running a long extension cord across the yard. During the winter I started using a small power station and a 100-watt solar panel. It worked well enough that I started planning a full system again.

By May 2025, I had a working 48-volt off-grid solar system. The building later became my ham shack. Today the same solar system powers the radios, computer, lights, air conditioner, and other loads in the building.

My May 29, 2021 planning diagram

This was an early planning diagram, not the system I use today. It shows how much of the project I was already working through a few weeks after buying the first panels.

Important: This old diagram is part of the history of the project. My finished system changed as I learned more and selected the equipment I actually used.