Learning Solar Power

So Adam, my husband, purchased several solar panels for a few dollars from eBay to try and learn how to harness solar energy.  His first attempt was very successful and he was able to hook up three panels together into a circuit and light a light bulb as well as run our cell phone charger.  I was very impressed.  It was a small step, but a step in the right direction and proved that he knows what he's doing with solar panels.  I'm very excited to purchase more panels when we are settled in our own home.  Our goal is to run our lights and small electrical appliances off of a few solar panels to start.

Welcome to the Journey!

Recently, my husband and I decided to try to live "off the grid" and as self-sustaining as possible.  Unfortunately, this is a lofty goal and somewhat unrealistic at this point as we are currently renting a house and don't own our own home.  However, we are obsessed with research and making small changes now so that when we buy our first house (hopefully, this year!) we will be ready to make the big changes needed to really reduce our carbon footprint and live sustainably.

For the record, some of our goals include:

• Planting a vegetable/herb garden
• Canning fruits and vegetables
• Running a self-sustaining hot water heater
• Build a windmill for electric power (my husband as already built one so he is past the worst part of the learning curve)
• Composting

I started this blog to document some of the changes that we have made and are making and to track our progress as well as to share some insights and hopefully gain new knowledge and tips from others on this exciting topic.