Off-grid living has been Cheryl and Trevor Watson's way of life for almost 40 years.
The couple lives on Curtis Island, a one-hour ferry ride off the port city of Gladstone in central Queensland.
They run everything from a toaster to lawn mower starter using solar power.
"It's like being in town," Mr Watson said.
"We've got plenty of power which we can run microwaves, toasters, air fryers, air compressors, welding machines, so it's quite a good system."
Living off-grid was not a choice the couple made, but a necessity, as the island has no mains power and water.
They used to split their time between Curtis Island and another home in Gladstone, but moved to the island permanently 17 years ago.
"I've had solar on this house ever since I built it, we finished the house in 1989," Mr Watson said.
"I put a 24-volt system on it in 1990 and then I've changed from that to a 48-volt system in 2006."
Mr Watson said it had saved them thousands in power bills over the years.
"If you're going to run a generator, then you've got to buy the generator, then you got to run it as well and that costs money," he said.
"Once you get the solar on, there's no extra cost whatsoever."
Ms Watson said relying on solar power and batteries changed their mindset, but it did not feel inconvenient.
"I'm not going to put my slow cooker on during the night, I run it during the day," she said.
"I'm not going to iron at nine o'clock at night, I will do it during the day. But then we're retired so that's fine."
Solar power affordability
Amid a housing crisis and rising cost of living, the retirees are grateful for their set-up.
Mr Watson said with the cost of setting up solar power becoming more affordable and power bills increasing, he wouldn't be surprised to see more people embrace renewables.
"The original solar panels on the roof were $1,645 each and those same panels today would be in the vicinity of $150 to buy new," he said.
"They've come down in price a hell of a lot."
Griffith University's Dr Sascha Stegen has more than 26 years' experience in the electrical industry, with expertise in renewable and off-grid set-ups.
"When we look at solar installation 10 years ago, the consumer paid approximately $2.40 per watt, and this cost [has] come down to around or under $1 per watt," Dr Stegen said.
"Australia is supporting solar PV installations with incentives, with so-called STCs so small-scale technology certificate, which stimulates the market and the willingness to install solar."
While residents in the small town of Southend have embraced solar energy, on the other side of the island, three liquified natural gas (LNG) plants export tonnes of gas internationally.
The peaceful island became a bustling construction site in the early 2010s when the LNG plants were built from scratch, costing an estimated $60 billion.
How reliable is solar?
Trust in renewables has grown, Dr Stegen said, with about 3 million or 30 per cent of Australian households using solar power.
But he said storage for solar, wind, hydro and other alternatives needed improvement.
"Energy storage solutions need to become more affordable to provide sustainable or suitable replacements for non-renewable centralised power generation," he said.
For those connected to the network, Dr Stegen said power distributors faced challengers with grid stability and control causing uncertainty.
"The energy [is] fed back into a network which was built for energy flow from the centralised power plant towards the consumer, and not the other way around," he said.
Ms Watson said Australians would be better off if renewable and off-grid set ups were more accessible.
"Then we wouldn't have pensioners, low-income earners, middle income earners, struggling now because they're worried about their power bills," Ms Watson said.
"That's one wonderful thing here [on Curtis Island], we don't have that."
The way of the future
Mr Watson said his solar panels, battery system and back-up generator for emergencies had never failed them.
"I've got a 48-volt system and I've got 15 250-watt solar panels, charging those batteries through a Victron regulator, which is really efficient in overcast weather," he said.
"That allows you to keep your batteries higher during those periods where the sun doesn't shine."
Tyson Sellin purchased a block of land on Curtis Island, next door to the Watsons, in 2021.
The Gladstone electrician is building a house for his family to use on weekends and holidays, with plans to retire on the island.
With his power bills "skyrocketing" in town, Mr Sellin said he looked forward to making the permanent move to the island where he has installed solar panels and a lithium battery.
"I think it's the way of the future, I can't wait to go off-grid," he said.
