By: Jeremy Bell

<aside> ⚠️ Below is an email that I wrote to Melissa Thomson, but I figured I'd republish here in case it's of interest/value to anyone else on the lake.

</aside>

Hello!

First, let me say that setting up and maintaining a solar system at the cottage is a huge pain in the ass, and is not for the faint of heart. It is most definitely not “plug and play”, and you’ll need to familiarize yourself with all of the various parts, if only so you can troubleshoot it when it acts up. Because it undoubtably will.

But having solar on the lake is an unbelievable luxury, and I strongly encourage you to install one :)

With that said, you’ll need to answer the following questions to determine what to get. The answers will dictate if you’re getting a Porsche or a Prius:

1. How much energy will you consume?
2. How much energy can you store?
3. How much energy can you generate?

Any system will require the following components (the specifics will depend on how you answer the aforementioned questions):

1. Solar panels
2. Charge controller
3. System controller
4. Inverter
5. Batteries