Grid-Tied Solar With Battery Backup
What Actually Happens When the Grid Goes Down? Introduction One of the questions I get quite often is, “If I have solar and the power goes out, won’t my solar panels keep my house running?” The answer is not necessarily. This is one of the most misunderstood parts of grid-tied solar. Having solar panels on…
Read more
Seasonal Solar Shutdown Guide
How to Shut Down and Restart Your Off-Grid Solar System for the Season Introduction I know I’ve talked about this before, and I’m pretty sure I’ve even written an article on it. But recently I had a customer ask me to write down a simple step-by-step guide for shutting down their solar system for the…
Read more
Why Does My Inverter Charger Keep Switching On and Off?
Understanding the Most Common Causes of Transfer Switch Cycling and How to Fix Them Introduction I recently had a customer call me after purchasing an RV equipped with a complete Victron Energy system. They were frustrated because every time they plugged the RV into a standard 15-amp household outlet, they heard a constant “click…click…click” coming…
Read more
Do you really need 100 acres to practice agrivoltaics?
Absolutely not… Picture taken from solarpanelsbrisbane.com Introduction Imagine a homeowner with a quarter-acre property. Instead of building a conventional patio cover, they install a solar pergola. The roof generates clean electricity while the space beneath becomes a productive garden for lettuce, herbs, strawberries, spinach, or other shade-tolerant crops. They’re harvesting vegetables, reducing grocery costs, enjoying…
Read more
Why Home Batteries Are Becoming the New Standard for Solar Systems
The future of home energy isn’t just generating electricity…it’s storing it for when you need it most. Introduction For many years, installing solar panels was the ultimate goal for homeowners looking to reduce their electricity bills and become more energy independent. While solar panels remain the foundation of any renewable energy system, the industry is…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more
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…
Read more