Archive for March 2019

Complete Cottage Systems? Buyer beware! In general I would like to mention that there is no universal kit. Each situation and requirement needs to be taken into consideration individually. Most often, the outcome is very different from one location to another. Different sunshine hours, roof orientation, roof pitch, shading issues, year round or seasonal use…

There are a few different charge controllers you can use to regulate the charge to your batteries. Regulators PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) Regulators are the most simple charge control devices. They allow the battery voltage to rise up to a pre-set level and then simply shut off until the battery…

https://www.nrcan.gc.ca/energy/funding/5147 On March 19th of 2019 the Government of Canada is set to announce the new budget for the federal government. While what is in that document will have a major impact on many people, I would like to remind people about a tax write off which was put on the books during the fiscal…

Off Grid, And Back Up Generators Most anyone who lives off the grid or has a remote cabin with an off grid power system will need a back-up generator sooner or later. There are good reasons why you should have a generator. When we encounter a cloudy stretch your PV (Solar) panels likely will not…

Electricity Use On-Grid Versus Off- Grid The vast majority of people live in dwellings that are connected to the grid. And all these folks have been well trained to use their electricity wisely. Especially once the smart meters made a huge difference. Electricity cost in the Off-Peak hours is vastly less expensive than at Mid-Peak…

AC or DC? 12V or 120V If you own a camp and there is no electricity in sight and you would like some of the conveniences of lights without flames, cold beer without constantly buying ice at the store, charging your tablet or phone and so many more things that use electricity. There are decisions…

Tesla Powerwall A lot of folks are wondering about the Tesla Powerwall. It is certainly a good looking product. Seems like reliable and proven technology. Good life cycle performance. BUT!!!! There are big environmental issues extracting the lithium.  The process uses a lot of water and leaves that water highly toxic. The cost of the…

How Does Solar Pay for Itself? Net-Metering is a very effective way to reduce your electricity bills. When you install a solar system, you buy 25 to 30+ years of electricity in advance as you make the investment. Since electrical rates are not static, but increasing, the value of the electricity increases every year. Rates…

Designing an off grid system is not just buying a 50W panel, throwing it on top of a trailer and expect to run your microwave. For sure, that won’t work. To make a small off grid system work we need to look at many factors. Sunlight hours available? Shading and partial shading issues? Mounting angle…