Hello Garrett
The first step you
should take is to make an itemized list of what you want to power, and the expected amounts of power you expect to need on a daily basis. That is,
lights, so many watts for so many hours, TV, how many watts, how many hours, computer, power tools, refrigerator, ect, ect. The amount of power you'll need will help decide on the system voltage you'll want. I can give you some general guidelines.
Small system: 12V; lights, TV: made with 500-1000W of panels
Medium system: 24V; lights, TV, computer, refrigerator: made with 1000-2000W of panels
Large system: 48V; lights, TV, computer, refrigerator, power tools, well pump, air conditioner: made with 3000-5000W of panels
At my own homestead, on days when nothing special is happening, I consume about 3000Wh of power (3 kWh). That's just routine day to day living. On days when there's construction, or irrigation days when I'm pumping water out of the well, I consume 20+ kWh of power. I built a 48V system that can sustain that power level.
You will want to buy your electronics via the internet, but it's best to buy both your batteries and your solar panels locally. Trojan and Rolls-Surrette are good battery brands. Stay away from automotive starting batteries, or batteries marketed as marine hybrid batteries. Those don't have the thick lead plates that long-lasting off-grid batteries have.
Shop for your solar panels on Craigslist, or Ebay, but with
local pickup only. If you buy panels off the internet and have them shipped to you, you pay much, much more. Expect to get good panels with local pickup for about 3-4W/$.
These days, both batteries and solar panels are wired in series to provide greater capacity. Today's electronics handle that seamlessly.
If you plan on running anything powered with a motor, such as power tools, refrigerators, freezers, or air-conditioners, stick with sine-wave inverters only. Avoid square wave or modified sine wave inverters, even though they are cheaper. Your motors will overheat and live shorter lives.
The best inverters are designed to be hard-wired directly into your house's main electrical panel. I would avoid cheaper inverters that provide the power through NEMA sockets. The best inverters will provide split-phase AC, so you can run both 120V and 240V equipment.
More likely than not, you will find that most of your power is actually produced by your solar panels. Wind is far more likely to disappoint you than solar will. Keep asking questions, and we'll be happy to
answer them.