EG4 Chargeverter GC
Understanding the EG4 Chargeverter GC and Where It Fits in an Off-Grid System Introduction I wanted to write about the EG4 Chargeverter GC because it recently solved a problem I encountered while designing an upgrade for one of my customers. The customer has a 48V off-grid system with a modern 120/240V all-in-one inverter/charger, but their…
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Cooling and Heating an Off-Grid Cabin with Solar Power?
Introduction Ever wonder if there was a way to cool your cabin when off-grid using solar power? Or perhaps even add some supplemental heat during certain times of the year? Where I live on the west coast of British Columbia, we can experience some very warm summer days. Being able to keep a cabin cool…
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Older Inverter, New Lithium Batteries: Will They Work Together?
What cabin owners and off-grid homeowners should know before replacing their lead-acid battery bank with LFP batteries. Introduction I was recently asked by a customer if they could replace their old dead lead-acid battery bank with new lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries while keeping their existing inverter/charger. It’s a question I get quite often, especially…
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Boat Power
How Is It Different Than a Regular Off-Grid System on Land? Introduction Over the last three days, I spent quite a bit of time working on a customer’s boat. To be fair, he did the hardest labour himself by removing all of the old lead-acid batteries from the house battery bank before I arrived. We…
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LFP vs Sodium-Ion vs Solid-State Batteries:
What Does the Future Hold? Introduction This past week, a customer reached out to me and asked what I thought about sodium-ion batteries. She had been reading about them online and was curious whether they might eventually become a good option for solar energy storage. It was a great question, and honestly, it is something…
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Getting Rid of Old Lead Acid Batteries Safely
It’s All About Spark Introduction I often get customers ordering new batteries for their cabins, boats, RVs, golf carts, and off-grid systems. Sometimes they remove the old batteries themselves before I arrive, and sometimes I do it when I get there. Either way, I always take a few minutes to educate them on how to…
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Another Food Truck Going Electric
Understanding Real Power Consumption in Off-Grid Systems Introduction I recently had a call from a local food truck business whose built-in generator had failed. Rather than replacing it with another gas generator, they wanted to explore going fully electric using a battery and solar-powered system. This is becoming more common as business owners look for…
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The WiFi Dongle
More Than Just Monitoring Introduction Solar systems used to be much simpler. You installed your inverter, batteries, and solar panels, programmed a few settings, and typically the system just worked. Today, modern hybrid all-in-one inverters like those from Solark, EG4, LuxPower, and Megarevo are far more advanced, combining inverter, charger, solar controller, battery communication, grid…
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Connected to the Grid… But Still Left in the Dark?
Backup Power for Homes in Remote and Small Island Communities Introduction Living on a small island definitely has its perks. The views are incredible, life is usually a little quieter, a little slower, and many people love the stronger sense of community that comes with it. But one thing many island homeowners deal with is…
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DC Loads
The Most Underused Off-Grid Superpower Introduction Over the years, I’ve installed smaller dedicated inverters specifically to run critical loads like fridges and other essential devices, avoiding the need to leave a much larger main inverter running continuously. In many cases, I’ve also integrated 12V and 24V fridges for the same reason, to reduce conversion losses…
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