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Over a decade ago, my husband and I were lucky enough to find and purchase an off-grid family cabin on a small island near Desolation Sound, BC. Perched on a cliff overlooking the ocean, the cabin received ample sunlight throughout the year and came equipped with ten lead-acid batteries and a noisy, gas-powered backup generator. Since we anticipated we would only be spending a few weeks there in the summer and the occasional weekend in the off season, we decided to keep the existing system and add more solar panels to the roof. This gave us just enough power to keep our fridge, lights, water pump, internet and necessities running. If I wanted to vacuum or occassionally blow dry my long hair, we had to power up the genny!&nbsp;Fast Forward 10 Years: Off-Grid Power Evolution Since then, our energy needs have grown and the landscape of off-grid power solutions has transformed dramatically. Lithium batteries have emerged as a superior choice, offering numerous advantages over traditional lead-acid batteries, including higher efficiency, longer lifespan, greater depth of discharge, no off-gasses, and maintenance-free operation. In addition, the cost of solar panels and lithium battery storage has plummeted, making it more affordable for us to finally replace our aging lead-acid batteries with a clean, reliable, long term, powerful system.When designing our new off-grid system, we considered several factors:<ol><li>our growing energy needs and daily consumption to determine optimal battery capacity</li><li>solar production throughout the year to ensure sufficient power during our off-season visits and rainy days</li><li>inverters and battery systems that were easy to install and expandable if we felt we needed more power down the road</li><li>ability for anyone at the cabin to simply understand the state of charge as a % of battery available vs. decyphering voltage readings</li><li>cost-effective and insurable solutions that were UL certified and safe for a remote island</li></ol>Through our research, we discovered EG4 Electronics, who offer a range of premium, affordable, and safe LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries, with fire protection and heaters built-in - making them perfect for off-grid living. After thoroughly testing their products, we were so impressed, we decided to partner with them to distribute EG4 throughout Canada.We narrowed down 3 modular Off-Grid starter systems that are simple to install and can easily expand with your power needs:Bundle 1 - The Perfect Starter Kit.&nbsp; It can take up to 20 400W panels and it can power almost anything you could want. Dishwaser, washing machine and (gas) dryer, well pump, hairdryers, and yes, even a small heatpump, all at the same time.<ul><li>6000XP All-in-one Off-Grid Inverter that utilizes 8kW of solar photovoltaic (PV) input and outputs up to 6kW of power while simultaneously charging your battery bank</li><li>EG4 Indoor WallMount Battery offering 14.3 kWh of storage capacity and a maximum continuous output of 200A</li><li>EG4 4G Adapter to enable remote system monitoring and management. </li><li>UL Certfied</li></ul>Bundle 2 - The No-Compromise Kit This Kit can accept 24kW or solar or about 60 panels, which means that your entire house can have heatpumps and you can even charge your electric car.&nbsp;<ul><li>EG4® 12000XP is a 12 kW, 120/240 VAC split-phase, all-in-one, off-grid inverter, offering 24 kW of DC solar PV on two 35 Amp MPPTs and generate 12kW of power output, while charging the battery with another 12kW. It can also pass through up to 24kW (100 Amps) of utility power, or 90 Amps of generator power.</li><li>3 - EG4 Indoor WallMount Battery offering 14.3 kWh of storage capacity and a maximum continuous output of 200A</li><li>EG4 4G Adapter to enable remote system monitoring and management </li><li>UL Certfied</li></ul>Bundle 3 - Small but Mighty - Extremely affordable solution that's perfect for your RV or small cabin. It can easily run your fridge, well pump and other small appliances.&nbsp;<ul><li>3000EHV-48 All-In-One Off-Grid Inverter that combines the capabilities of a 3000W inverter, MPPT solar charger, and battery charger and supports parallel connection of up to 12 units</li><li>EG4 Indoor WallMount Battery offering 5.12 kWh of storage capacity </li></ul>All of these bundles are UL1973 Certified, have built-in fire arrestors, and come with an EG4 Warranty. You can't beat the power or the price for these off-grid setups!If you have questions and want to learn more about which off-grid or grid-tie bundle is right for you, send us a message at <a href="mailto:hello@sol49.com" data-mce-href="mailto:hello@sol49.com">hello@sol49.com.</a>&nbsp;

The Perfect Battery Storage System for Your Off-Grid Lifestyle

Choosing the right type of inverter is critical when planning a solar installation. While microinverters can seem attractive due to their simple installation, however, hybrid string inverters are a better investment that will save you time and money down the road. Let’s dig in!First, what’s the difference? Microinverters convert solar energy to AC the panel level, which can be a plus in terms of simplicity for smaller systems. Hybrid inverters, like the EG4 18kPV All-In-One Hybrid string Inverters use the MPPTs in the inverter to convert solar energy to AC, but these inverters are also responsible for storing the solar energy in a battery (both your panels and the battery operate using DC current). If you have solar, it can be very frustating when grid goes down and there's plenty of sunshine. Only Hybrid inverters can keep the lights on when the power goes out – microinverters can't do that.&nbsp; But hey, what about an AC battery, your ask?&nbsp; It's true that the microinverter companies have been addressing this by coming out with batteries that will convert the power back to DC to store in the battery, and then back to AC to use it again. You end up wasting so much of your precious solar power during all of these conversion steps. Using their own efficiency ratings, AC batteries are only 76-79% efficient FULL round trip. That's panel to load.&nbsp; (The data is there, but they're tricky with how the present it, they give you a rating for the microinverter and then the battery. These need to be added together to get the true round trip rating.)The top 3 key advantages of hybrid inverters include:1. Seamless Battery Storage Integration If you are investing in solar panels but are not quite ready to add battery storage, installing a hybrid inverter from the get-go will help future-proof your system. For example, a homeowner with a hybrid inverter can install batteries years after their solar system is in place, without expensive retrofitting. In a microinverter-based system, adding batteries later will require extra inverters and a lot of rewiring, which makes upgrades far more costly.2. Backup Power During Outages A hybrid inverter offers backup power capabilities and peace of mind. When the grid goes down, hybrid inverters can automatically switch to battery power, keeping essential appliances like the lights, refrigerators, heat pumps and internet access up and running.&nbsp; Some can keep power flowing, even without a battery. Meanwhile, microinverters shut down during grid outages, leaving homes without power when you need it the most, and wasting all that solar energy. 3. Earn money using Time of Day pricing Adding storage helps you take advantage of <a data-mce-href="https://app.bchydro.com/accounts-billing/rates-energy-use/electricity-rates/residential-rates/tiered-time-of-day.html" href="https://app.bchydro.com/accounts-billing/rates-energy-use/electricity-rates/residential-rates/tiered-time-of-day.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">time of use</a> pricing. Good hybrid inverters, like EG4's 18Kpv, 12Kpv, and FlexBoss save money on electricity bills by using the battery every day during peak times, and charging it only when solar can't and only when rates are low, usually at night.4. Cost-Effective &amp; Ready to Scale Depending on the size of your solar installation, microinverters can become increasingly expensive with each panel you add. For larger systems, hybrid string inverters are less expesnive. On average, the number of panels where string inverters break even is about 19. A little less or a little more, and why would not ever choose micro inverters?&nbsp; One final note on cost, we recently quoted upgrading SolarEdge system to battery storage. Our brand new inverter plus battery system was less expesnive than adding a SolarEdge battery to their current system.5. Forward and Backward Compatible All of EG4’s Hybrid Inverters including the FlexBOSS, EG4® 12kPV or EG4 18kPV All-In-One Hybrid Inverter, the EG4® 6000XP and 12000XP All-In-One Off-Grid Inverter offer storage integration and are compatible with micro inverters. Therefore, you can also add storage to an existing solar system to access the power you need, day and night, and can monitor it all in one place in our iOS/Android app or on the web.In summary, a hybrid system offers you greater flexibility and can save you time, money and hassle down the road.&nbsp; Contact us to learn which Hybrid Inverter &amp; Battery system is right for you Hello@sol49.com

Hybrid Inverters vs. Microinverters: Why Hybrid Inverters Are A Better Investment

First Point Energy Supply

Energy battery storage supplier. Our customers are Solar Installers and Electricians. We provide affordable backup power systems for residential, commercial, and primary power systems for off-grid applications in Canada

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The Perfect Battery Storage System for Your Off-Grid Life...

Hybrid Inverters vs. Microinverters: Why Hybrid Inverters...