A powerful off-grid energy movement got its start in the 1970s through one man.
As the world’s energy industry has evolved over time, the older ways of disconnecting from the grid are being replaced by the astonishing forms of renewable energy generation that have been developed over the past few decades.
Are you ready for a life lived without the need to rely on the national grid?
How clean energy production has taken over the world… almost
The global energy transition away from fossil fuels has become so much more than just a green dream.
In 2024, a record-breaking achievement was reached when 92.5% of all new power added to the international grid came from sustainable energy resources such as solar, wind, and hydropower.
In the first half of last year, renewable energy production surpassed coal and oil for the first time in our history.
This is emblematic of how the energy industry has, and still is, changing to reflect global sentiments in energy production. But one development has taken nearly 50 years to reach this level.
Demand influences supply, especially in the international energy market
While we have made significant progress in advancing the renewable energy sector, more work needs to be done.
While global clean energy production has increased, demand for energy has surged as well. New AI-data centers, the unexpected rise in electric vehicle usage around the world, and increased air conditioning in the hottest regions of the planet have caused energy demand to rise sharply.
Solar panel systems are at the mercy of the environment, not enough sunlight, and they become less than helpful.
Other technological advancements in renewable energy have been a major step forward in addressing climate change, too. Wind power farms now litter coastlines all over the world, even in the US, despite the best efforts of the current Presidential administration.
Living off-grid is no easy task and requires years of planning and pragmatic thinking to become a reality, but as one man proved over 40 years ago, it is possible.
Vermont man has lived off-grid for nearly 50 years, and urges us to do the same
Greg Pahl has been living off-grid since the 1970s. He was a founding member of the Vermont Biofuels Association as well as the Acorn Renewable Energy Co-op.
Over 25 years ago, he hosted a “brown bag lunch” at the Tompkins County Public Library to bring together locals to discuss energy security in the ever-changing world and how to develop locally-owned and operated renewable energy.
The event mostly focused on how communities around the United States could finance and produce their own renewable energy.
A revolutionary movement began with a simple proposal by Greg Pahl
The meeting discussed how co-ops, nonprofits, and most importantly, local governments needed to develop and take control of localized clean energy production. Pahl has since become a pioneer in biofuels, as it was his preferred energy generation method.
Biofuels are much easier to control than their solar or wind-powered cousins.
The need to develop alternative power solutions has led some scientists down a 43-year energy road. But biofuels only require waste material produced either by us as humans, or we could even use the waste collected from animal life on our farms.
And there certainly is a lot of natural waste that we need to do something with.
The community-owned energy movement that Pahl began over 40 years ago has seen many people in this great nation leave solar and wind behind in favor of developing a biofuel-powered energy system for their daily needs.
We now know that the oil industry has a dark side that has been hidden from the world. Looking at your own community, what kind of ‘waste’ resources could be transformed into the energy solution your neighborhood needs today?
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