Solar Self-Sufficiency Is Feasible, Even in Moderate Climates
Solar self-sufficiency for modern single-family homes is feasible, even with electric cars in moderate climates such as Switzerland
Why Bother With Self-Sufficiency?
In 2021, Switzerland consumed 58 billion kWh of electricity, of which 33% were consumed in private households, and 8% for transportation (mainly railways). Whilst tackling climate change and renewable energy supply won’t work in one big step, it seems worthwhile to address a sector that’s responsible for a third of the entire electricity consumption — private households.
While renewable energy can also be produced centrally using dams, large-scale solar installations, or wind farms, decentralized production of renewable energy has the additional advantage of insuring against power outages. More and more, these occur during heat waves when electricity demands for air conditioning surge — even in “cold” places like Switzerland.
In this article, I will take you through the solar power setup I am using in my own house — well knowing that my house won’t save the world, but it could nevertheless serve as a demonstrator for further developments.
