What happens when you run out?

[David Shultz]

Ok, so bear with me. I am learning and preparing to outfit our cabin for off grid use.

I would like to have year round power (cold winters in Canada) so that I can keep my internet satellite operational for remote security viewing.

I am concerned about what would happen should the power dip below a safe level. Is there a device that would turn off equipment abruptly rather than let voltages get way out of hand and cause damage? Am I overthinking this and all quality inverters will automatically switch off the plugs? My assumption is that a hard switch off and switch on once charge recovers should be ok - not ideal but better than fading away.

I am also concerned about batteries in cold weather, so will this mean I need to size the system for a heating blanket?

I'm sure someone will comment on the need for security... but the cabin is not remote enough to be immune from theft/damage and once bitten - the feeling never leaves, so a few sheckles for peace of mind is worth it to me.

Thanks

[Michael Raz]

Hi Infra Red,
I'm sure you'll get some some advice from people with much more experience than me but I'll throw my two cents in. Without more info (size of panels, snow cover), battery bank/type and the power draw from the Satellite Internet it will be really hard to provide anything specific. Although I have just upgraded batteries and panels, it was only 315 watts of panels and two Trojan 105s. Over the winter (unheated - cabin is in Quebec so it gets cold) the only thing running was a couple of motion sensors and a game camera. The panels are post mounted and I know that the bottom one would end up with some snow. Despite this I have had no issues over the last 5 or so years I have left the batteries there over winter - I also adjusted the low voltage cut-off to be much higher than normal. In your case, between the internet and any heating system, I would be really worried about the batteries staying charged. Most inverters/charge controllers etc will cut out at a voltage that is really low (too low). In winter, by the time this happened, it would be very likely that the batteries would freeze and be destroyed. A fully charged battery is good to -60C or so (lots of variables) but the freezing point quickly raises as SOC goes down. Naturally things are a bit different if you are running with Lithium.
There are numerous cellular options (game cameras, security cameras etc) available that my be powered from a small panel or batteries - however the service charges for these are not cheap - but they are coming down.

As I started at the start, with not knowing the system everything I just said may be irrelevant! Hopefully others can provide more options.

[David Shultz]

Thank you for your thoughts.

I think I will take my chances and use some cheap batteries and panel combo and a motion sensing cameras with memory cards (maybe one visible and one stealth). I will skip the internet this year, which will cut down on my power needs significantly. I should try to track the battery temperatures and SOC over the winter to get an idea of what they were subjected to. I guess I need to find a cheap data logger.

Our cabin is also in Quebec!

[Ralph Day]

Also note that the forum prefers/requires you to use your actual name, not "handles". This makes for a less anonymous, more friendly atmosphere.

Ralph

[David Shultz]

I was assigned the handle by the forum itself... have to find a way to change it. Guessing user profile

[Rob Beckers]

I've changed the account name at David's request.

Back to the topic at hand: We've been advising customers to mount one or more panels vertically (90-degree tilt) facing south if they need to run things unattended in winter. This doesn't have to be all the panels, even just one or a smaller one with its own charge controller can do the job of keeping the batteries filled up. All depending on loads.

Regular tilt angles, such as 45-degrees (works well for winter and summer yield), 60-degrees (great for winter production) will all have snow covering them for extended parts of our winters. If you can't clean them off they won't produce much, not even at 60-degree tilt. Vertically mounted panels will still have snow sticking to them from time to time (hard to believe but really true!), much of the time they will be clear though, and produce power.

Another option if you need energy in winter...

-RoB-

[David Shultz]

Thanks. I was planning on hinging the panels so I can drop them vertically for the winter season. The solar panels came with the cabin and I am not sure what make or condition they are in. Guess I will find out soon enough.