September saw all hands heading back to school. For the first several weeks it was warm and busy work… with lots of humidity in the classroom and plenty of organizational hours during weekdays. Thank God for the camp this time of year, as we found reprieve and restoration at the edge of the lake. I think I got into Smelt Lake every weekend of the month… Stretching out the summer (great weather this year) and relinquishing enough to start winter preparation.
Big accomplishment at Camp Lumsden this year was the introduction of an alternate, green power supply through the installation of solar panels. The experiment started in June… prompted by a Canadian Tire Special which included controller, inverter and panels. After a couple of rudimentary internet searches, I collected up the necessary pieces, being sure to purchase components that could be expanded upon should additional panels be desired. The roof of the new shed proved perfectly positioned for panels as it is south facing and open (with the removal of three/four trees). Set-up was easy… as I’m no ‘lectrician! By summer’s end I’d even expanded once, to a complement of 4-100W panels storing power on three deep cycle marine batteries.
In all, we were very pleased with results. It eliminated almost all requirement in regards to running the generator. I used it once or twice to run the grass trimmer… that’s it. The 5 litres of gas picked up in the spring (all I had to purchase) ran the outboard for the summer. Beyond fuel savings (and lugging), the solar has really changed the complexion of evenings. Lots of light through the night on demand… safe and clean. Plus… not a sound. The purr of the little generator can now be saved for work trips and other heavy load jobs.
So, all in, a $1500 dollar investment. I’ll be a while getting my money back… but really thinking about supporting more environmentally friendly practices at the camp (Janie’s ideas are finally taking root). As the pricing for this type of project continues to drop (while efficiency improves) I can see it being an even more affordable solution for off grid living!