Off-Grid Living

A commercial solar system failure during a summer grid outage is not measured in inconvenience. It is measured in hours before $15,000 in prime cuts begins to sweat under commercial refrigerator lights that are no longer running. I was asked to review the backup power arrangement at a butcher shop on the main street of

Jobsite solar power failures on a remote Muskoka framing site are not technical failures. They are a $3,000-a-day crew standing around a pile of premium lumber at 7:45 AM because a big-box generator will not start and every tool battery in the charging rack is flashing red. I was asked to review the jobsite power

Home medical solar backup failures during a winter ice storm are not measured in inconvenience. They are measured in hours of sleep deprivation for a patient whose airway depends on continuous positive airway pressure through the night. I was asked to review the backup power arrangement for a retired couple in Rockwood in Wellington County,

Marine solar system failures on Georgian Bay are not slow events. They are a sudden acrid smell from the bilge at 7 AM while anchored 5 miles off the Mink Islands, followed by smoke in the cabin and a VHF radio that will not key up. I was asked to review the electrical system on

Overland solar power failures on washboard gravel roads are not sudden events. They are the result of progressive terminal loosening that owners never see until it is too late. I was asked to review an auxiliary power system on a 2021 Ford F-350 overland build owned by a Barrie-based hunting guide who used the truck

Cottage solar system failures on the Victoria Day long weekend are not random. They are the predictable result of leaving a lithium battery bank at 100% state of charge in an unheated building for 7 months and expecting it to wake up healthy in May. I was asked to review a solar power system at

Farm solar power failures in a Wellington County January are not inconveniences. They are a 2 AM phone call from a farmer telling you 40 head of cattle have been without water for 8 hours and the temperature is minus 18°C. I was asked to review a solar-powered livestock watering system at a 160-acre beef

Flood monitoring solar power and sensor failures during the event they were built to measure are not equipment failures. They are design failures that were baked in before the first flood arrived. I was asked to review a monitoring system at a flood warning station on the Humber River at the King-Vaughan Road crossing in

Remote telecom solar failures in northern Ontario January are not gradual. They are a single phone call from a forestry camp supervisor at 2 AM telling you the repeater has been dark for 6 hours and the crew cannot reach the evacuation coordinator. I was asked to review the power system at a 900MHz repeater

Fire tower solar power failures during high wind events do not just cut the power. They generate false fire alarms at exactly the moment a real fire is most likely to start. I was asked to review the power system at a Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry fire detection tower on a granite ridgeline