Unless you live in a location without much sunlight, it’s better to invest in a solar powered system with a transfer switch to go off grid

You're sadly describing my situation. Dec sees 6 hours of light, less even, and while the sun does get above the horizon, it doesn't get over the top of the forest.

(The trees have no leaves, but there's still a lot of tree trunks between me and sun.)

Bah.