Getting the whole system for free certainly makes the decision easier, even if the system so disappointed the previous owner that he was faced with finding somebody to take it off his hands for no payment.
Most of us aren’t in the position of getting a solar setup for free. We have to make our choices based on spending our own money. Maybe for fair disclosure, you might want to mention that you got your system for free when you post about how well it works for you.
If it’s the best alternative for you, that’s great. From the research I’ve done though, I’d bet that a small gasoline generator would be the best alternative for the vast majority of people looking for power off the grid.
Going off the grid generally means finding ways to cut your consumption to bare bones level, and then cutting it some more. For somebody just using a cabin on weekends, if they’ve cut their consumption that much, they could probably power their limited uses of electricity by putting a single deep cycle battery in a cart and dragging it to their cabin, and just charging the battery with a battery charger at home each time between visits to the cabin. That would be a heck of a lot less expensive than what the actual retail cost of your setup would have been if you had bought it.
The system was not disappointing, he just got a more powerful one and since we were neighbors (he was only five miles away) he offered it to me rather then toting it out.
From the research I’ve done though, I’d bet that a small gasoline generator would be the best alternative for the vast majority of people looking for power off the grid.
Your opinion, everyone has them. But, solar systems outnumber other generator types in that area so I would say no.
Not having to tote in fuel is a big thing. The only people who have (propane) generators are those who need them for medical reasons and they are closer to the main road.
putting a single deep cycle battery in a cart and dragging it to their cabin,
Some have done that. But that is like toting in clean dishes and taking them home to wash. It gets old very fast. They generally buy a couple of panels, leave the battery in place and go with that.
I get it, you don't like solar.
You do what works for you.
I will blow your mind and tell you that most of us don't use chain saws either.
If a major tree comes down we will bring a couple in but for the most part we use axes.