dog-by-fire-on-boat

Windy Winter Boating Nights

Richard Stabbins begins an occasional series on the joys and heartbreaks of living on a boat in the middle of a big city. It’s early…
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50-year old Diesel Generator In Mirissa Beach

Mirissa beach is known for cool Eurotrash, beautiful surfing and whale-watching. In common with most of the country outside the dapital, the beach community struggles with an unreliable electricity grid. But it is not known as a centre of off-grid technology – and for good reason. Like most of the country, households in Mirissa depend for backup power on diesel rather than solar. The Perkins generator at the Seastar Hotel is a relatively modern example of a near-century-old design. It sits in the courtyard of this friendly hotel, maintained by locals, at the end of the long golden beach, that has become increasingly popular over the years. Western surfers share the waves with Sri Lankan fishermen, who hover near the shore all day, line fishing, while most of the catch is hoovered up by industrial vessels on the horizon. When the power goes out, about once every couple of days, the huge old generator roars into action. It certainly helped me out when I was trying to go online. Happy Birthday, Generator. You can see the film here.

Gridless in Gaza

The tragic war in Gaza has left hundreds of thousands off the grid  – with no water or power and very little food. Off-grid has…

COP 28 BOSS DITCHES 1.5DEG TARGET

COP 28, lost whatever remained of its credibility today, after revelations this year’s Convenor of the annual Net Zero negotiations told his audience that the…

What’s going on with COP28

Pros and Cons of the COP28 Decision to Remove Fossil Fuel Phase-Out: Pros: Economic Considerations: Supporters argue that an immediate phase-out of fossil fuels could…

Embracing the Unconventional

In the heart of wilderness, there exists a unique tribe, a breed of individuals whose pulse resonates with the rhythm of nature. These are the…
LAtest map still

Welcome to the new upgraded off-grid map

We hope this map becomes a vital part of your off-grid life.  It is a free, glocal (global, local) tool, catalyzing the off-grid community to…

USA VanLifers soars above 3 MILLION

As homelessness increases across the USA, the VanLife population is growing rapidly. From around one million VanLifers in 2020, according to the RV Industry Association,…
Heat map of USA

SouthWest USA Bakes Under Heat Dome

A massive dome  over the western and southern United States has left Americans sweltering in soaring temperatures, poised to approach all-time records in Phoenix, Las…
A smart meter unable to display the correct data

Smart Meters – Dumb Install

From 2010 onwards, off-grid.net ran stories about smart meters – like this one –  predicting that the meters would be an expensive failure.  Finally the…
Off-grid protestors

What is Climate Justice?

People are talking about and demanding “Climate Justice.” But what does the term actually mean, and how do we get it? Inequalities of energy consumption,…

Water Coma Is a Real Thing

Also known as water poisoning, water coma results from intoxication due to a disruption of brain function caused by drinking too much water. Doing so…

Grid On The Skids

The UK national grid is in danger of total collapse during national emergencies according to government tests carried out to prepare for a national emergency.…
Map of the relationship between power sources, home and car battery

Your Car Will Be Your Battery

Petaluma, CA – 18th Feb. A new kind of car charger could unleash massive growth in off-grid living. Enphase Energy has announced plans to introduce…
Weather forecast on local TV

Heating bills UP in SoCal storms

Residents of Southern California have endured months of droughts, followed by floods, and now face brutal increases in the cost of home heating. That is…
A Husk micro-grid plant in Nasarawa, central Nigeria. Photo supplied.

Nigeria grows off-grid power

Nigeria announced in 2017 that it would no longer be pursuing a national grid strategy, but instead would develop island power in specific areas across…

Off-Grid solutions in War-torn Ukraine

Rolling blackouts are the reality of everyday life in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.   Russia’s war is increasingly targeting the civilian population and the country’s…

Florida Energy Bills Rocket

Power companies in Florida are warning residents of another major increase in your electricity bill. A request sent by FPL and Duke energy in December…

Elon Musk’s Satellites Help Ukraine

A cluster of 3,335 satellites called the ‘Starlink Constellation’ created by SpaceX is currently offering off-grid high-bandwidth WiFi to consumers in 45 different countries. Around…