Envy here
...I read but don't have much to post about what I am doing.
We are too far north to be able to depend on solar for the winter (even the companies selling pv systems advertise one month with ZERO output as the expectation). I took the route of ground heat pump to reduce personal energy importation.
To go for a nearly self-sufficent system I would need a combination of:
a) solar (problem in winter when needing most energy)
b) wind (there is a wooded ridge behind our house that would play havoc with air flows, but it does protect us from the cold northerly winds)
c) wood burning stoves (I don't have enough land for tree production)
d) a smaller house to heat.
e) battery storage
f) generator when the above are not enough
I read of an off-grid house here on the island - a totally rebuilt cow barn that was rebuilt with the aim of off-grid independence (solar, windmill and wood heating). They claim to be self-sufficient for 10 months, and are aiming for 11 months with more batteries and raising the height of their windmill, but they are still not at the 100% mark.
I have come to the conclusion that I could (and have) transitioned to a lower level of energy input. But if I was to aim for energy self-sufficiency in the area I am now living in, I would need much more land and would need to design and build a small house rather than adapt an existing one.