8 Outdated Off-Grid Solar Practices To Look Out For
Solar technology has advanced by leaps and bounds in recent years. Yet, we often see new systems following 20-year-old practices. It’s like someone selling you an Apple II or a Compaq Deskpro 386 today (and not as a collectible)…
People often ask us to diagnose their off-grid solar systems. The biggest offender that causes inefficiencies, increases costs, impacts performance, and creates safety risks is an old-school approach.
It’s frustrating to see people throwing good money after bad to fix issues caused by outdated practices with more of the same ineffective measures. Solar panels on a stick, needy lead-acid batteries, and improperly dimensioned systems have no place in modern off-grid solar systems.
If your existing systems have these issues, don’t spend more on outdated measures because you’ll only multiply the inefficiencies. If someone tries to sell you a system with these telltale signs of being stuck in 1999, run the other way:
1. An oversized battery bank
Old systems using lead-acid batteries require oversized battery banks to accommodate the chemistry’s discharge behaviors. However, this practice is unnecessary with modern lithium battery chemistries because they can discharge more deeply without impacting longevity.
Plus, more storage doesn’t equal better performance. Your bottleneck could be somewhere else, and you need data to identify what it is. An oversized battery bank means only one thing for sure: You’re overpaying for battery, the most expensive component.
Over-dimensioning battery banks was also necessary with lead-acid batteries because they don't provide performance data. But things have moved on, Grandpa. With our unique data-driven approach to measuring consumption at night, we can optimize storage based on actual usage patterns and energy production capabilities.
2. Lead-acid batteries
Meet our pet peeves. Let’s just say it’s borderline criminal for professionals to keep selling lead-acid batteries for modern solar systems. While they made sense 20 years ago, they’re the most expensive and least safe option with the shortest lifespan (less than 5 years) today.
A pile of molten lead-acid batteries caught fire.
We use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries for most client solutions because they’re the safest and most cost-efficient with the longest lifespan (our high-endurance custom battery packs can last as long as 15 years or more). They’re also intrinsically safe, and reputable brands include protection circuitry to minimize fire risks.
3. Ignoring energy efficiency
Using energy-inefficient appliances could translate into thousands of dollars of savings in inverter, solar charge controller (SCC), and battery capacities. Meanwhile, habits that work for grid-tied systems may not be optimal for an off-grid solution.
For example, running a water pump in the middle of the night when the cost per kWh from the power company is the lowest makes sense when you're on the grid. But doing so with off-grid solar means you need to buy more batteries. On the other hand, running your pump during the day doesn’t cost you extra in battery capacity.
There are many ways to avoid buying excess capacity without compromising convenience or the quality of life. You’re likely overpaying if your solar system installer doesn’t ask about your energy usage pattern or help you identify unnecessary power consumption.
4. An undersized solar array
Solar panels were expensive at the turn of the century, and installers tend to undersize the solar panel arrays to keep costs down. This practice led to inadequate energy production and depleted the lead-acid batteries, further shortening their lifespan.
Fast forward 25 years and solar panels are more affordable and efficient. Along with our data-driven, iterative approach and access to utility-grade refurbished panels, we help our clients maximize their investment by oversizing their solar arrays to meet their energy needs and pave the way for future growth.
5. Panels on a stick that kinda swivels
When solar panels cost an arm and a leg, installers put them on swivel frames to follow the sun and squeeze every watt out. But those frames are also mechanically complex and expensive — today, building one to squeeze 10% more out of a few dingy panels is way costlier than buying a few extra panels and mounting them on the ground to boost power production.
We’ve seen quite a few panels-on-a-stick arrangements done in recent years where the need to swivel no longer exists. They mimic the form of an outdated practice without serving the purpose. If anything, they unnecessarily constrain the number of panels, impacting energy production and battery health.
Most also turn aimlessly. We don't know if they’re tracking the sun or just lost a few screws.
6. A black-box approach
Dimensioning a solar system used to be half guesswork and half “shoving customer whatever is on the shelf.” There’s little transparency about the process — 20 years ago, the lack of data was the reason; today, the unwillingness to evolve is the culprit.
You can do much more with smart monitoring technology that provides real-time data on system performance. Most SCCs and battery management systems (BMSs) in our solutions come with Bluetooth apps. We use the data to help our clients identify bottlenecks and make targeted improvements to their systems.
Our SCC app shows how much power our solar array generates.
Moreover, we custom-design every solution based on each customer’s requirements and order the latest and most appropriate equipment. We don’t stock products, so we don’t push outdated items to clients because we need to move things off the shelf.
7. Low-quality inverters and SCCs
Pure sine wave inverters are slightly more expensive, but they’re worth the investment and then some because “modified” sine wave output negatively impacts the longevity of your electronics and appliances. Additionally, these modern inverters have better safety features.
Some old-school systems use basic SCCs like PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controllers, which are less efficient. Modern systems use MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) charge controllers to maximize energy harvest by adjusting the electrical load to match the solar array's optimal power output. They’re 30% more efficient than PWM ones.
8. Lack of redundancy, modularity, and scalability
Many outdated solar system designs suffer from single points of failure. Modern systems incorporate redundancy by using multiple smaller components (e.g., SCCs and battery banks) to ensure the system can continue to operate if one component fails.
Additionally, adding more panels or batteries to older designs can be challenging. On the other hand, modern systems are modular and allow for easy expansion. For example, our clients can quickly add more panels to boost power production or battery capacity to increase storage without overhauling the systems.
Don’t get trapped in a time warp
Whether you want to install a solar solution that can withstand the test of time or modernize your existing installation, we can help you maximize your investment with a common sense, data-driven approach. Get in touch to see what’s possible.
