One of the major differences is that unless you have formed some kind of intentional community or have a group of like-minded individuals in your area, you will be the engineer, the mechanic, and the maintenance man all rolled into one. To digress just a bit, this is why shows such as "The Colony" (the reality show, not the aliens), and "Doomsday Preppers" are productive for the introduction of ideas. Those ideas need to be researched and employed, in that order.

Let's cover some methods to generate energy and provide power, and discuss the positive and negative aspects of each one.