The property that I own is a 17.5-acre rural plot. While there is an on-grid power line at the road, our build site is about 1,400 feet from the road.
To power the house and site, we opted to install a solar system rather than spend $50–100k installing poles in the Canadian Shield bedrock.
This page documents the system, its energy output, and what we have learned from living with it. The setup has been an ongoing lesson in sizing, storage, panel placement, and the compromises of keeping batteries alive through a northern winter.
Current system
- Main array
- Four panels on temporary supports.
- Original panel
- A separate charge controller lets us keep using the original panel alongside the newer array.
- Battery storage
- LiFePO4 batteries with built-in heaters. We expanded the original bank to get multiple days of use.
Generation and use
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The published readings are still available in the table below.
Weekly readings as a table
| Week of | Generation (kWh) | Usage (kWh) |
|---|---|---|
| May 4, 2026 | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| May 11, 2026 | 5.3 | 7.9 |
| May 18, 2026 | 8.6 | 8.5 |
| May 25, 2026 | 13.7 | 11.4 |
| Jun 1, 2026 | 15.9 | 13.5 |
| Jun 8, 2026 | 1.8 | 1.2 |
| Jun 15, 2026 | 15.0 | 13.6 |
| Jun 22, 2026 | 23.3 | 17.7 |
| Jun 29, 2026 | 23.7 | 21.6 |
| Jul 6, 2026 | 28.4 | 29.3 |
| Jul 13, 2026 | 22.3 | 31.3 |
| Jul 20, 2026 | 22.0 | 21.4 |
| Jul 27, 2026 | 16.4 | 24.4 |
| Aug 3, 2026 | 0.9 | 2.6 |
| Aug 10, 2026 | 6.8 | 9.1 |
| Aug 17, 2026 | 20.5 | 25.0 |
| Aug 24, 2026 | 7.9 | 9.4 |
| Aug 31, 2026 | 6.8 | 13.5 |
| Sep 7, 2026 | 8.4 | 13.0 |
| Sep 14, 2026 | 10.1 | 14.0 |
| Sep 21, 2026 | 9.2 | 9.5 |
| Sep 28, 2026 | 3.2 | 8.1 |
| Oct 5, 2026 | 4.8 | 10.1 |
| Oct 12, 2026 | 1.6 | 8.6 |
| Oct 19, 2026 | 2.9 | 10.3 |
| Oct 26, 2026 | 1.6 | 5.0 |
Lessons
01 · System sizing
Choosing a larger system
We chose a larger, more expensive system instead of a smaller, cheaper one. I thought it would last longer and be a better system to learn from.
Bigger than we needed
It is definitely a better system, but it is probably bigger than we need. We may have to replace it for the house build anyway because the certifications and regulations have changed.
02 · Battery expansion
Expanding the battery bank
The original battery bank was running down far too quickly, so we added more batteries. It cost a lot of money.
Multiple days of use
We can now get multiple days of use from the batteries. Battery technology has improved drastically in the last three to five years. I wish we could use the batteries available now instead of the ones tied to this system.
03 · Panel expansion
Adding four new panels
We bought one solar panel even though the charge controller could handle four. The plan was to add three more later.
Matching panels matters
Solar panels change constantly, and different models do not work well together. We ended up buying four new panels and a cheaper charge controller for the original panel. Otherwise, we would have lost some of its output.
04 · Panel relocation
Moving the array
The original panel placement was dictated by the site layout and the restrictions we had. We have since moved them to a steeper angle, probably between 25 and 35 degrees.
Roughly twice the generation
After moving the panels by about 30 degrees, we observed roughly double the generation. This was an observation from our setup, not a controlled comparison.
05 · Panel cleaning
Cleaning the panels
We noticed a change while cleaning the solar panels.
About 30% more generation
On our setup, we observed about 30 percent more generation after cleaning the panels. The result depends on the condition of the panels and the available light.
06 · Winter battery storage
Heating the batteries
Battery storage is difficult in winter. LiFePO4 batteries can be damaged if they charge below freezing, so ours have built-in heaters to prevent that.
Winter heat consumes stored energy
The heaters are inefficient and can negate the benefit of having a battery at all since they use so much power. Keeping them above freezing while off-grid is also difficult because heat takes a lot of energy. It is a catch-22.
Upcoming
Solar extension
A permanent eight-panel array and new battery system for the house build.
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