ABSTRACT
There are many people who would benefit from having electricity but who live too far from an electrical grid to access it. Recent developments can help such people. Solar-generated electricity and battery storage are now available at a very reasonable cost for those who want to have an electrical system in their home or business. The very simplest system of this type is a solar lantern that can be set in the sun each morning to charge the battery, and then used in the evening for lighting. Because of the low cost of solar-generated electricity now, there is an active transition around the world away from fuel oil or propane-powered generators and towards solar panels for generation of electricity. Lighting, cooking, communication, and refrigeration are among the most important reasons to have off-grid electricity. Storage batteries are an important part of the off-grid system.
