Off-the-grid
The term off-the -grid (OTG ) or off-grid generally refers to a self-sufficient way of life which has little dependence on public institutions. In German, the term is best translated as " network-independent ".
Autonomy
Off-the -grid homes are autonomous, that is, they are not connected to local water, electricity or gas lines, and also not to the municipal sewage system, but to fulfill all these requirements on their own. This concept gained recently increased awareness by the statements of some people in public life, such as Ed Begley Jr., who appears in the American reality show Living With Ed. Also the actress Daryl Hannah spread the off-grid thoughts by letting you set up property in Colorado under this concept.
Electricity
The current can be generated directly using renewable energy on site through solar, wind or water power. Alternatively, there are communities that do without it completely, such as the Amish or the Mennonites.
Water
Among the sources of water used on site include wells, lakes and rivers. Depending on the source water quality, and are then used in addition pump and filtration systems for use. In addition, rainwater can be collected and used.
Popularity
April 13, 2006 USA Today reported that approximately 180,000 families would live independently of the mains in the States and gave as his source Richard Perez, publisher of Home Power Magazine. Assuming a growth rate of 33 % per year, this would mean that a quarter of a million households had been conducted independently of the mains in the USA in 2007. Since most people in the Third World never had the chance to gain a mains supply, you go nowadays from an estimated 1.7 billion grid-independent people from around the world.
Environmental influences
In the U.S., for example, particularly the state of California encourages the production of solar and wind power, which is connected directly to the mains, so as to avoid the use of toxic batteries for night storage. Network independence can both have purely idealistic reasons, or to reduce environmental damage, because the locally available, renewable energy are limited, resulting in a less power consuming lifestyle. Nick Rosen is in his book "How to live off-grid " seven main reasons for an autonomous energy supply. The first two are saving money and reducing CO2 emissions. Other arguments tend in the direction of survival strategies in the event of a collapse of the oil economy.
Economic aspects
If grid parity can be achieved, it is more beneficial under certain circumstances, to generate its own electricity than to relate it from the net. This depends mainly on the installation costs and the availability of renewable energy from, of course, also the price for the network connection.
Africa
Since 2010, small, inexpensive solar systems have been available in Africa and installed in villages in Kenya and elsewhere on the cottage roofs. The use of cheap solar panels and LED lamps made these systems financially available.