James Munley – Wilcox, PA

As a young man I was stationed in many remote parts of the world as a heavy equipment mechanic with the sea breeze. Immediately I took to self-reliance, preservation and the beauty of all things natural. It has followed me throughout my life. A few years ago a boyhood friend afforded me the opportunity to watch over his 150 acre hunt camp for the summer months. It is adjacent to the Allegheny National Forest in south western Pennsylvania. Answering an advertisement in a magazine for a Backwoods Solar catalog was the beginning of my solar adventure. Pictured is the remote, totally off grid, cabin on the property that I wired. Currently I am only running: two EV115 panels, a SCI Mark controller, a Pro-Sine 1800 inverter, an Iota 55a charger, all purchased from Backwoods, and a Honda 2000i backup generator. Although I do all my chores by hand and only run machines occasionally, my equipment supplies all the power I need for my sole lifestyle at this time.

For the winter months I break down my equipment and set up in the Osceola National Forest in northern Florida. I have had an overwhelming number of inquiries into how my gear works and hope seeing it will inspire some in the sunshine state. I am far from expert but have built, plumbed, wired and maintained all of my own properties all my life. I would like to reassure anyone wanting to develop a simpler life style that there is nothing more rewarding and satisfying. The folks at Backwoods Solar have been fantastic when it comes to support, almost a forgotten courtesy in today’s marketplace.