so, is getting off the grid with solar technology financially viable for a renter, yet?

we're on the cusp. really.

i can't get the appliances off, yet. so, whatever i do, the stove and washer and fridge are going to stay on the grid. the lights are going to stay on the grid, too.

but, it is almost realistic to get everything else off. and, i'm thinking about it.

if i spent all of this time typing on a modern phone, i would both use a lot less power and have more efficient charging options. they actually have chargers for around $20 that can handle anything with a few watts. that would be a very smart investment, if i was a completely different person.

but, as it is, i have four laptops and three desktops that i need to run down here at various frequencies, along with a wide assortment of recording gear. i need the ac out, one way or another.

to run one computer and some peripherals in this room at the same time, i would need something like 100-150 watts of direct power. the usb chargers (5-20 W) aren't enough, but the standard consumer line (400-1000 W) is way too much. so, i'm looking for a kind of niche product, and the price is less than optimal. but, i could work this out for around $200. that's a lot on first glance, but if it saves me $15/month, and the price of electricity continues to go up, it's not long before it pays for itself. if i could figure this out for something more like $100, i'd do it on the spot.

i would probably want to get a second or third comparable station down the road, rather than wait for the price of the big stations to come down. i probably couldn't really charge a 400 wh battery in one window, anyway. so, why not get one for each window and break the circuit up?

the obvious next question is "how long does the battery last, though?" and that's kind of fundamental. is it going to last more than a year? if not, i'm not saving anything.

but, it's getting close. phones can be off the grid at this point - it's feasible and financially viable to do it. laptops should be next.

i just need the alternating current. that's the problem.