Many of us are drawn to the ideas of self-sufficiency. Standing on your own two feet is part of our national culture, encapsulated in that 1970s classic ‘The Good Life’ with Felicity Kendal and Richard Briars. However, most of us don’t want to have pigs or goats in our back garden, so the reality of living the good life is more of a myth than a reality. But in 2024 we can easily be self-sufficient in one important aspect of our lives – electricity. You too can now enjoy the self-sufficient good life.
Being partially self-sufficient in electricity is actually pretty easy for most folk with a roof these days. With solar panels generating electricity during the day, and battery storage providing power during the night, an average system can enable you to be wholly self-sufficient between April and September. So, for about half the year, you can generate more than enough electricity for your needs
Going the whole hog and being totally self sufficient via Solar PV is more of a challenge in the UK, considering how short our winter days can be. Other ways to be effectively self-sufficient might be to combine roof-top solar with a Ripple Energy Wind Power scheme, whereby you benefit most from wind power when your Solar PV production is at its lowest.
During the winter, the battery element of your system can soak up all of that nighttime wind energy, and discharge it during the rest of the day. The Ripple dashboard will tell you how much energy you have generated and what your savings will be.
As with anything, there are many ways to approach a problem, but battery storage and solar panels are two key elements to making you self sufficient and enable you to enjoy the good life.
Check out our case studies and other blog posts which explore whether solar panels are for “people like you“.
Brimstone Energy – For the Green Energy Transition.
