Off-Grid Solar Power: How to Size a System
Size an off-grid solar system for Canadian winters: load audit, peak sun hours, array, MPPT, inverter, wiring, fusing, with a full cabin example.
Practical off-grid manuals
Run your own power, water and heat.
Clear, tested guides for cabins, homesteads and rural properties in Canada and the northern United States. Real numbers, worked examples and the safety details that matter.
Free guides
Each guide covers one system from start to finish, with sizing calculations you can apply to your own property.
Off-Grid Batteries: LiFePO4 vs Lead-Acid
LiFePO4 vs lead-acid for off-grid power: usable capacity, cycle life, cold-weather charging, bank sizing, wiring, ventilation and lifetime cost.
Off-Grid Water: Wells, Rainwater and Treatment
Size a cistern from roof area and rainfall, choose wells, pumps and pressure tanks, treat and test water, and winterize an off-grid system.
Heating with Wood: Stoves, Firewood and Safety
Choose and size a certified wood stove, meet clearance and chimney rules, calculate cords per winter, burn cleanly and prevent chimney fires.
Composting Toilets and Greywater Systems
Off-grid toilet options, safe humanure composting and curing, urine use, simple greywater systems, setbacks, cold-climate issues and permits.
Off-Grid Food Storage: Root Cellars, Canning and Drying
Crop storage conditions, root cellar design, safe water-bath and pressure canning, drying, off-grid freezing and long-term dry goods storage.
The full manual
The Comprehensive Off-Grid Manual
The free guides cover the essentials. The Manual covers everything: every system on an off-grid property, how they work together, and how to keep them running through a northern winter.
- Every system in one place: power, water, heat, waste, food and shelter
- Worked examples with real numbers you can repeat for your own property
- Written for Canadian winters and northern conditions
- Checklists for seasonal maintenance and emergencies
Coming soonSee what's inside
Why these guides are different
Written for the north
Sizing is based on December sun, frozen ground and cold batteries — the conditions that break systems designed for warmer places.
Real arithmetic
Every guide shows the calculation, not just the answer, so you can rework it for your own loads, roof and climate.
Safety first
Fire, electrical, carbon monoxide and water-safety risks are called out where they apply, along with when you need a permit or a professional.