California company Dvele has designed prefabricated, off-grid houses with solar panels that allow people to stop relying on "antiquated power grids".
Dvele ? named after the Norwegian word for a dwelling ? has been selling prefabricated homes since it was established in 2017 in San Diego. It has recently made the switch so that all of its models are self-powered.
The homes are intended to serve as a "solution that addresses climate change and power grid resilience" according to Dvele.
Devel offers 11 residential designs, ranging from a tiny home to a four-bedroom dwelling. The homes are modern in style with a flat roof and minimal ornamentation. Layouts can be customised as needed, and the starting cost is $190,000 (£163,500).
All systems are powered by electricity, and the new designs come with 28 solar panels that can generate at least 6,400 kilowatt hours per year for a California building. Energy that is not used right away can be stored in a battery.
"A Dvele home is capable of utilising its solar array and battery backup system to make them fully grid-independent and insulated from the inconveniences and safety risks associated with long-term power outages, not to mention significant financial savings," the company said.
Dvele co-founder and CEO Kurt Goodjohn added that self-powered homes, such as those offered by Dvele, help address the issue of "an antiquated power grid that will take many years and billions of dollars to fix&quo...