Story by Alysha Carusi
If the world went solar-powered tomorrow, how much sunlight would you need to live your normal life?
This is a question Jeff, Rose, and their five daughters asked themselves before buying a plot of land, leaving the city, and starting their own off-grid homestead 100% powered by solar and other renewable energy sources in Northern BC.
So, how do their lives look and how much sunlight do they need?
They have two south-facing solar power systems to power everything they need. The first solar system is just one solar panel that generates enough power for their lights, cell phones, and music player.
The larger system powers their full-sized fridge, a deep freezer, washing machine, as well as a mixer, blender, and a toaster. They have a backup generator but they only have to use it for about 40 hours per year during prolonged cloudy periods.
All five girls are homeschooled with the intent to enable all university/college requirements, which includes 10 collective hours daily use of electronics and internet. Five laptops and seven phones use quite a bit of energy, but their solar set up makes it no problem to do so.
Living a comfy and exciting solar powered life is entirely possible in BC. And you don’t have to opt for an off-grid lifestyle to do so.
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Solar panels are made out of photovoltaic cells and layers of silicon. Each layer has different electric properties that energize when hit by sunlight. This is called the photoelectric effect – and creates the current needed to produce electricity.
Solar panels are also very safe. There’s no danger of the photovoltaic cells leaking or emitting any toxins or fumes.
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The inverter's role is to convert the direct-current (DC) electricity from the solar panel to an alternating current (AC), which can then be used to power your home!
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The electrical panel has two functions: it receives electricity and carries power to various outlets and fixtures within your home; and it prevents fire-causing overloads.
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In addition to powering your house, excess electricity generated from solar panels (especially during summer) can be fed back to the power grid.
Currently, BC is ranked #8 as the most ideal place to live on solar energy, with between 280-310 sunny days per year on average. This can keep a solar system charged for a majority (8 months) of the year with supplementary power sources like generators helpful in a pinch. The average Canadian household uses approx. 38kWh/day Kilowatt-hour (kWh)A unit of energy commonly used to measure electricity consumption. For context, dishwashers generally use about 1-2 kWh per load and energy-efficient LED bulbs typically use about 0.01-0.1 kWh per hour. , which averages about 28 days of power on a single charge.
You could easily have a Netflix binge weekend while baking croissants and grabbing an ice cold beverage from your fridge in a home completely powered by solar energy.
With an abundance of sunlight in the Pacific Northwest, this lifestyle would end up saving you thousands of dollars yearly and advance the Earth’s need for clean, renewable energy to slow the effects of climate change.
So, will you take advantage of our “sunshine coast” and illuminate the possibilities for a renewable energy future?
Explore solutions for regenerating our planet on Change Reaction.
About the sticker
Survivors
Artist: Jeff Kulak
Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.
About the sticker
Egg BB
Artist: Jeff Kulak
Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.
About the sticker
Comet Crisp
Artist: Jeff Kulak
Jeff is a senior graphic designer at Science World. His illustration work has been published in the Walrus, The National Post, Reader’s Digest and Chickadee Magazine. He loves to make music, ride bikes, and spend time in the forest.
About the sticker
T-Rex and Baby
Artist: Michelle Yong
Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.
About the sticker
Buddy the T-Rex
Artist: Michelle Yong
Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.
About the sticker
Geodessy
Artist: Michelle Yong
Michelle is a designer with a focus on creating joyful digital experiences! She enjoys exploring the potential forms that an idea can express itself in and helping then take shape.
About the sticker
Science Buddies
Artist: Ty Dale
From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.
About the sticker
Western Dinosaur
Artist: Ty Dale
From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.
About the sticker
Time-Travel T-Rex
Artist: Ty Dale
From Canada, Ty was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1993. From his chaotic workspace he draws in several different illustrative styles with thick outlines, bold colours and quirky-child like drawings. Ty distils the world around him into its basic geometry, prompting us to look at the mundane in a different way.
