I am always amazed at the amount of like minded people here on Steemit. My Wife and I are in the planning stages of an off grid farm/homestead also. It won't be a community though.

The main reasons we want to be off grid are independence and more control over our expenditures. We were really getting tired of all the extra fees and charges on our power and gas bills. Most of the time these charges are more then the cost of the electricity or gas.