One Stop Shopping Feel
Thank you for the final upgrade on our solar electric "off grid" system. Our new 8 panel 1400 watt tracking array is working great. With our old roof mounted fixed array the best collection we'd get on a good day was about 2.5 kw hrs. The tracking system now gets upward of 8 kw hrs on a sunny day. Today, October 5th, it registered 6.0 kw hrs, float time of 107 minutes, and high watts of 1541.
With the new tracker system combined with the Outback inverter and battery pack that you supplied us with several years ago, we now feel that we're really up and running electrically. It's been great to have that one stop shopping feel. Thanks for all the education. I would highly recommend SolarPanel.ca for anyone needing solar solutions.
Jonn and Jamie - Winfield, Alberta
They Showed us the Light
We've been committed to living off grid for many years now. When we met Shane and Tamara at the Log and Cabin Show in 2006 we had been living with a micro system of our own devising purchased from a company in a city far away from us. It was sorely inadequate but it was the best we could do with our knowledge and finances at the time. What a relief to meet Shane and Tamara! Someone local who knew what they were talking about and who genuinely wanted us to have the system that would work best for us. They literally showed us the light. We bought some mega-efficient bulbs from them that our system could run no problem. No more candles in the winter! Over the next two years Shane and Tamara spent quite a bit of time tutoring us in the ways of smart solar. As we grew our budget and our solar smarts Shane presented us with several different ways of devising the system that would comfortably run the new home we were planning. Shane and Tamara have always been straight and down to earth with us and we always appreciated their common sense. We never felt that they were trying to 'sell' us anything and always felt that we were in the drivers seat during the decision making process. Well, I'm happy to say that we are now living in our new home (phase 1) with our new solar set up and I couldn't be happier with it. We are able to run everything that we want and are living very comfortably.
Thank you, SolarPanel.ca!
Mike, Erin, Emily, and Sarah - Sandy Beach, Alberta
Shane and Tamara Have Been a Blessing to us!
When my wife and I began this journey to off-grid living, we started with research. After a few months of reading and contemplating, we talked with some local dealers. They had a good grasp of all facets of living with solar/wind power. We knew what we wanted, how we wanted to live off-grid, and they had the products we needed. The problem was they couldn’t see what we saw, our vision was secondary to their vision. We would never need the extra power for a big screen TV and entertainment system, we didn’t have one then, and certainly weren’t going to get one in the future (just an example of the different thought processes we encountered). That is not to say others may desire a full, no lifestyle change, solar set-up, but that is not what we were looking for. All we wanted was some help realizing our peculiar, individual vision.
With our independent research, we decided to take on the project ourselves, and order components from wherever was cheapest. This was not the optimal scenario, having an expert close at hand is a benefit, but we felt we had no choice. We had perused Solarpanel.ca, but after our previous experiences, figured it would be same old, same old. Not wanting to abandon the local scene without checking all options, we decided to call Solarpanel.ca. Shane was doing the log home show, so we decided to go there and talk with him. That few minutes talking with him was all we needed to know. We returned the next day with a down payment for our system. He listened to our plans, knew what we were talking about, made some key observations/suggestions and basically lifted a large burden off us. Since then Shane and Tamara have been a blessing to us, not just in alternative energy, but because they are genuinely decent folk. It is without hesitation that I encourage anyone interested in alternative energy, to contact Solarpanel.ca.
Thank-you Shane and Tamara.
Brian & Stacey - Innisfree, Alberta
Solar Powered Horse Trailer
We came to Shane & Tamara after checking out several sources of Solar Systems. They were the most helpful in deciding what was necessary for us and then went to great effort to set up our system. We were in the unique position of having to insert it into our horse trailer to allow it to be mobile before putting it in a permanent spot. They accomplished all that, and when the time came to transfer it to the heated area in our barn gave us very clear instruction as to how it should be done, even offering to come out to our place and assist in the job. Since that time we have added more panels and an extra set of batteries, as our budget allowed, to give us our 'power source' as it is now. We have more than enough power for our needs and when everyone else is 'freezing in the dark' our horses have water and we have heat, TV, etc just like any other day! At any time we can call for advice, which we have, and it is cheerfully given.
We have also erected a 1 KW wind generator on a tower made from a used light standard. Shane & Tamara came out and with their help it was put together and stood up in one afternoon. I'm sure if we hadn't had them here it would have taken much longer. Plus, we know it is done correctly!
Jim & Laurel - Edson, Alberta
