When AMERICAN EXPERIENCE digital producers Kirstin Butler and Eric Gulliver saw the recent film The Sun Queen, they were captivated — and curious. Solar energy pioneer Mária Telkes had built the nation’s first modern home heated entirely with solar power in 1948 — what has become of her legacy?

“Who is living off the grid now in fully solar-powered lives?” asked Butler. “What does it take?” Through Off the Grid, they tell the often-surprising stories in three digital shorts that start to roll out on April 20 on AMERICAN EXPERIENCE’s YouTube channel.

“The AMERICAN EXPERIENCE ethos is that history is alive,” said Butler. “These shorts explore the present-day embodiment of Telkes’ legacy.”

Through the experiences of solar-only households in three climate zones — Minnesota, New Mexico and Vermont — the films upend a few stereotypes, said Gulliver.

The stereotype of a lone hermit in the woods didn’t materialize, he said. Most of the people have the same amenities they had on the grid, such as high-speed internet and television.

“But they’re getting it from their own hands now. That's the interesting evolution of the term ‘off grid,’” he said. “Most people think it means unreachable, but these folks are very connected — some of them have hundreds of thousands of subscribers on social media — that was new to me.”

He also was surprised at what had motivated people to go all-solar.

“People have a principle of self-reliance and want to be connected to the labor of their lives — providing water and heat, chopping wood, feeding animals. They want to provide for themselves,” said Gulliver. “And then it just so happens that they're also helping the environment. I thought it was the other way around.”

Where did they find people willing to share their experiences?

“The great thing about doing digital production is that you have the whole digital world — YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — to draw from,” said Butler. The producers found a lively online community of solar advocates whose online platforms reach huge audiences.

In New Mexico, they discovered Zani Cooper, her son Khari and husband Yaseen, who moved from their 3,000-square-foot home in Atlanta to 25 acres of desert, where they are building a solar-powered homestead.

Bovey, Minnesota is home to is Kyle Helmberger and Cierra Meyer-Berg, who at 24 are the youngest participants. They collect their own water from rain and snow, heat with wood and make all their food from scratch.

And in East Ryegate, Vermont, Heidi Choate, Evan Perkins and their son Huckle created the Small Axe Farm in 2008, an entirely off-grid operation in the Northeast Kingdom.

“Some people who live off grid are wary about sharing their lives with more traditional media,” said Butler. “But the PBS name — and therefore GBH’s — goes so far in terms of gaining people's trust — before any words have even been exchanged.”

Watch a preview here and the first episode here. Missed The Sun Queen? Learn more about solar pioneer Mária Telkes and watch the film here.