We talk about onsite energy generation when a household starts producing its own energy at home, substituting partially or completely the electricity drawn from the grid. Electricity can be self-generated by harnessing green energy sources such as sun, wind, and ground or air heat.
But, is it possible to rely only on your own energy production facility? Can you really become completely independent from your local power provider? The answer is, YES you can become completely independent of the power grid and cover your everyday needs with the energy that you produce by yourself.
However, to do so, you need to have a storage device, since green energy generators depend on the weather conditions.
So, for example: imagine that you have decided to invest in a solar installation. Regardless whether you have chosen to use the sunlight to produce electricity or to heat up water, you will soon notice that in times when there is no sun, your solar installation does not generate enough electricity or hot water. Therefore experts advise citizens who decide to invest in solar installations to remain connected to the national grid to secure a permanent power supply and to avoid power or warm water shortages.
In case you’re already convinced of the necessity of producing your own energy (secretly hope you are) and consider it for your home, let me give you a few options:
You could commercially sell a large amount of the self-produced energy to the grid and consume just a small portion, while at the same time continue to purchase electricity from the local utility.
Or you could use the self-generated energy primarily for your own needs BUT continue to purchase power from the local utility in times of short supply from your own energy generation system. Plus, you could sell any surplus of self-generated electricity to the grid!
Or just disconnect from the grid, become completely independent and supply 100% of your energy needs with the self-generated energy. How cool is that?
