About Independent Power LLC

I am David Palumbo and I operate my business under the name "Independent Power LLC. I live with my family of five in our off grid neighborhood here in northern Vermont. We use PV power (photovoltaics or solar electric), microhydro power and a propane powered generator to make our own electricity.

What does Independent Power do? I help people become their own power company. I work for people who buy an electric system from me. I do my normal design work for my customers and then the customer can also hire me to install the system, or they can do it themselves working with their local electrician. I enjoy working with customers with different budgets and needs. I get just as much satisfaction working with the do it yourself, low budget system as I do from working on the larger scale homes. I supply a basic wiring diagram with the do it yourself systems and take the time to explain how it should go together and work for them. I have many of my original customers from thirteen years ago coming back to my shop for system updates and additional PV panels as their needs change over the years.

Since I earn my living from the sales of the equipment I supply I can not give away my time and expertise to people who purchase their system component parts from a cut rate mail order/Internet retailer. I feel my prices are very fair to both my customers and to my family.  I will admit that you can always find somebody willing to undercut the price of a local business person. My customers find that I give them a very good value for their dollars with all the design advice and follow up support over the years. People find that the mail order dealers will talk nice about offering service and advice while they are trying to close the sale, but their performance after the fact is not up to the level of a knowledgeable and supportive local dealer.

Our Expertise

Siting   Determining where the best sites are for your PV array (group of solar electric modules or panels) and, or, your micro-hydro turbine (very small scale water power). You can attend one of my free monthly workshops to learn about doing this on your own, or you can hire me to do a site visit on your land.

System Design  I work with the homeowner to determine the specific components that will make up their independent power system. I guide the homeowner in their choices of appropriate electric loads and select the proper equipment to meet those needs, both, in terms of the quantity of power (watt hours) and the quality of the power produced (sine wave or modified sine wave). Specifying the type and size of your systems component parts and knowing how they all work together takes years of practical experience. I am very knowledgeable with the independent home power system parts storage batteries, inverters, PV panels, generators, wiring, charge controllers, meters, battery chargers, safety fusing and switching, lighting, water pumping, and refrigeration. I can help you tailor a system to your individual wants, needs, and budget.

Do it yourself or complete installations. Depending on your time and budget I will either sell you the proper components with a wiring diagram for you and your electrician to install; free shop instructional time and phone support is gladly given with your system. Or, I can be hired to professionally install your Independent Power LLC system on site. My installed systems come with a one year limited guaranty in addition to the various manufacturers warranties.

Ongoing support and service. I am available for free phone support as your questions come up over the years, or you can make an appointment to visit my shop to pick up supplies and ask questions. I also can be hired to perform service on your system.

Site Usage

Very few of our customers live with their system without knowing at least the fundamentals of renewable energy. A good read of our site will be time well spent. It will also inform you about the kinds of questions you will need to be asking to ensure satisfactory performance from your system. 

One of the problems of having a web site is the large number of inquiries that it can generate. That is a problem for us in terms of managing our time. If we spend too much time writing for the web site and answering e-mail then we will be neglecting the needs of our customers that we are presently working with. At this point in time the business is small and we do not see that changing any time soon. We conduct business on a personal basis by trying not to have too many projects going at the same time. One of the good points in dealing with Independent Power over the larger solar businesses is that we try to get to know the customers we're dealing with and keep track of their systems over the years so that we can offer advise that is tailored to their circumstances.

We can not get all our thoughts, ideas, and practical inspirations on the web, at least not all at one time, so bear with us as we work slowly to add to this site. If you find something difficult to understand or even read (different web browsers render colors differently) or would like to see some more information on a subject let us know and we will try to oblige.

What we can not do is answer e-mail and letters that simply ask for general information, such as requesting a catalog.