House Works: DIY solar generators an energy option, but buyer beware

Last month, I got an email of the kind I’m getting more and more often. It came from a single woman, MB, who just moved from the city to a village in rural Canada and she doesn’t trust the electricity supply. “I need some sort of electric backup system in the event the grid goes down,” she told me. “What should I get?”
People both in the country and city seem to be more interested in taking greater personal responsibility for their own energy security these da