Solar Power ?

We run six Keyocera 135W panels (810W) down through a Morningstar MPPT controller into six Lifeline AGM batteries. Panels are wired in parallel so shading of portions of the array doesn't lose us as much as a series hookup. If you decide to go with a 12v (parallel) setup, pay close attention to line losses as they can eat into your power available for nothing gained. We also run a household fridge and a 3.5 cu ft basement freezer on a dedicated inverter so we can leave the house inverter off and eliminate the phantom loads and internal losses on our big 2500W house inverter. Depending on how much TV we run and how much heat we need (we have LP heat, not Hydro-Hot), we may or may not have to use the generator. We found being able to tilt the panels up makes a big difference in generator use. We generally find it's better to run the generator for the high loads such as the microwave, and we'll brew a pot of coffee or run the toaster at the same time. It can be a bit of a lifestyle change but if you're willing to do it, it means that you can exist easily where others have problems.