Real energy independence can be tricky to accomplish, but during the past few years, I've accumulated some insights that aren't so obvious. The main misconceptions about life off-grid are that it's a ...

Many people have come to the conclusion that a portable battery power station is a smart investment these days for home emergency backup in the event of a blackout. This is a scenario that seems to be ...

Solar panels can only generate electricity; they can’t store it, so you must pair them with a stand-alone battery bank or a power station. For home emergency power (for a few hours of power), we ...

Most homes already have a smart meter that digitally communicates with the electric grid. If you're looking to get rooftop solar panels, a smart meter is an essential piece of equipment. Here's why.

Look closely at a solar panel, and you'll see a series of thin metallic lines running across the surface. They're not there to look nice -- they have a specific purpose. Those lines are called the ...