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All Solar Articles

A complete collection of solar, energy, and backup power articles.


This page contains every article published in the Solar & Energy section of the site. Here you will find how-to articles, product reviews, resources, lessons learned, system documentation, and practical discussions related to solar power, backup power, energy independence, and preparedness. Together, these articles provide a broad collection of knowledge, experience, and insights gained through nearly 20 years of learning, planning, building, and operating real-world energy systems.

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  • Wiring Up a Battery Bank

    I wanted to share with you my wiring of a battery bank for the system I am working on. The system is one that was started some time ago by the homeowner/prepper. They got swindled…

  • TIP: “PWM” – Pulse Width Modulation

    “PWM” – Pulse Width Modulation is the most effective means to achieve constant voltage battery charging. PWM regulation tapers the voltage according to the battery’s condition and recharging needs. PWM has recently surfaced as the…

  • SOLAR : My biggest mistake…by far!

    Not all goes well on the glamstead, sometimes I make mistakes…sometimes BIG mistakes. Last month was one of those BIG mistakes. I cured it last week. Back in JanuaryI got a call from my wife.…

  • MCB Interlock

    My experience with an MCB Interlock device has been a total success so far. I needed to build a control box for my solar well. My solar well pump can directly accept AC or DC…

  • Wireless Float Switch Review

    Introduction – Okay, I’ve written a whole lot about our solar well and lightening problems; some here, some on a DIY solar website/forum. Bottom line…twice in 4 years we were hit with lightening transient voltage…

  • MCB Interlock

    My experience with an MCB Interlock device has been a total success so far. I needed to build a control box for my solar well. My solar well pump can directly accept AC or DC…

  • Well Control Box Schematic

    I am including the well box schematic below. Anyone’s input would be greatly appreciated…ANY! Yup, that means questions, concerns, issues, warnings, safety problems…and even compliment 😉 I am actually in the process of building the…

  • Off-Grid Problems/Issues/Challenges…Part #1

    I really want to write a little series of articles that, when combined, show a couple points that bug the crap out of me. But…I’m really not sure on where to start. Let me touch…

  • SOLAR: Does it ever end? Is it ever enough?

    If you remember I upgraded my entire battery bank in the spring (2025) and increased battery storage from 32kWh to 41kWh (630ah – 800ah) < click here >. I also went with a “closed loop”…

  • MidNite Solar Battery Review & Install – Part #1

    If you watch it on youtube please do me a favor and “like” it. And you can even subscribe to my channel there as well 🙂 Related Articles – Trouble in Solar Paradise Update on…

  • SOLAR: New Battery Bank – Part #2

    I already explained in painful excruciating detail about the ‘needs’, ‘issues’, and ‘resolutions’ of the new battery bank in Part #1. I also explained why the change/upgrade, but for those of you who missed it……

  • SOLAR: New Battery Bank – Part #1

    Thought I would reach out to the solar tech-heads today. I wrote previously that I thought I had a problem with one of my 3 LifePo4 batteries (1x230ah + 2x205ah). Turns out that it wasn’t…

  • Trouble in Solar Paradise

    Twenty-two months ago I added a new 230ah 48v Trophy battery to our solar system. That coincided with a major upgrade to the entire solar system we have here at the glamstead. The system seriously…

  • SOLAR: More burned-up wiring…

    Last November I wrote a ‘Tip’ article regarding a fuse of mine that heated up and I had to replace it. Along the way I noticed that the problem was the connections on the fuse…

  • EMP, CME, & Lightening Surge Protection – Part #2

    If you haven’t read Part #1 of this 2-part series you probably should. < click here to read Part #1 > My Protection Strategy – So how do I protect my off-grid home? First off…I…

  • EMP, CME, & Lightening Surge Protection – Part #1

    Time to go technical…’high-tech’ to be exact…let’s talk surge protection. For this discussion surge protection will include the concepts of lightening strikes (LS), Coronal Mass Ejections (CME), and of course, Electromagnetic Pulses (EMP). While they…

  • Great Solar Upgrade – Day #9

    Day #9 come and gone! Oh Boy! What a day #9 was…bitter/sweet. I started in Saturday morning wanting to jump on first the circuit breaker upgrade that I talked about in my Day #8 post.…

  • Great Solar Upgrade – Day #8

    Day #8 come and gone! Man, I’ve been busy trying to finish this upgrade…but the little details and finish work are killing me. First thing I did was “load balance” the main breaker panel. Yeah,…

  • Great Solar Upgrade – Day #7 – IT WORKS ! !

    Day #7 come and gone! Started working this morning about 7am trying to figure out why I couldn’t get the Victron Quattro inverters programed correctly. On Saturday I did get the system up and running…but…

  • Great Solar Upgrade – Day #6

    Day #6 come and gone! Whew!!!!! 2:45pm and there is quiet at the Glamstead! Yup, the generator turned off. Oh, the generator is not running because I turned it off 🙂 The system is back…

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