Purdue Global faculty member enjoys off-the-grid lifestyle in rural Washington state

Today, Gomez and his wife are more than 12 years into developing their property, which started as 80 acres of sagebrush but now features their home, a trailer, a woodworking shop, an outdoor bar, a theater, two storage buildings, a pump house and 32 solar panels that provide power to the entire property. Gomez’s closest neighbors are 2 1/2 miles away, not counting the coyotes, porcupines and snakes that frequent the land.

At 75, Gomez loves teaching at Purdue Global, Purdue’s online university for working adults, and says he has no plans of slowing down. Gomez is a full-time professor who teaches information technology courses in Purdue Global’s School of Business and Information Technology. He incorporates off-the-grid living in his teaching, focusing on the use of solar panels, as in his recent presentation on solar energy called “Solar Systems: Friend or Foe?”

He said something always needs attention, such as adding additional solar panels and batteries to accommodate more appliances and technology improvements.

“So in 12 years, we have been doing everything,” Gomez said. “We are 100% off the grid. We didn’t have any power. We didn’t have any water. We didn’t have any septic system. We didn’t have any roads. We had nothing except sagebrush. I wish we could sell the sagebrush.”

Gomez started by finding water, which required him to drill 240 feet into the ground. The next step was creating a power source for the property, which he accomplished by installing three solar panels on a free-standing pole. Gomez later installed nine more solar panels on a separate pole before eventually adding panels to the roofs of buildings. With improvements in technology and solar panel wattage output, Gomez’s property now stores more than 8,000 watts, powered by 32 250-amp hours batteries. Gomez says the key is not the amount of power or the number of batteries, but the charge-controller component, which regulates power and temperature of panels and batteries, preventing overheating, especially on hot days.

Gomez estimates that they have spent roughly $500,000, with more than $200,000 in the solar panel system alone. Gomez said he’ll never see a return on their investment but noted it has been worth the joy and fulfillment it has brought to his family.

“It’s harder to go off the grid than one thinks,” Gomez said. “You really have to measure the cost versus benefit.”

It also takes planning. For example, living 40 minutes from the nearest town requires a deliberate strategy of combining errands such as shopping for groceries, getting supplies or gas and disposing of trash at a community collection site. Gomez and his wife grow their own food to help offset some costs, having planted apple, nectarine, pear and plum trees on their property. They’ve also made friends with a local farmer who supplies them with potatoes, corn, beans and more.

Gomez underscored the significance of discerning wants from needs and planning for future necessities. It’s also important to do one’s own research before taking on a project or change of lifestyle such as this. Understanding the system’s requirements is key, including determining the wattage of household items, as well as the capabilities of panels, batteries and other supporting devices like backup generators, which help homeowners navigate unexpected challenges such as cloudy days, or snow and ice on top of solar panels that prevent the batteries from charging. Solar systems have technology to monitor the state of charge and the voltage of batteries, which then determines how much energy to accept into the system.

“You must be disciplined, and plan and budget for the future,” Gomez said. “Avoid major changes in requirements, and finally, plan your work and work your plan.”

About Purdue Global

Purdue Global is Purdue’s online university for working adults who have life experience and often some college credits. It offers flexible paths for students to earn an associate, bachelor’s, master’s or doctoral degree, based on their work experience, military service and previous college credits, no matter where they are in their life journey. Purdue Global is a nonprofit, public university accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and backed by Purdue University. For more information, visit https://www.purdueglobal.edu.