The Owen's beautifully cared for cedar pan abode cabin was built on the north shore of Lake Chelan in the late '60s. The site is accessible only by boat.

This off grid home was still powered by the original, well cared for, Onan 5kW propane generator with an excellent auto start function. When a light switch was turned on, the generator would start and the light illuminated in about a minute. Even though this worked very well, it meant the large generator must be run for even the smallest electrical need, consuming expensive nonrenewable propane fuel, and disturbing the otherwise peaceful setting. The Owen’s wanted to use renewable, silent, solar energy backed up by their generator.

Solar array, mounted between the skylights.

A load evaluation and system design resulted in a solar array of four Sharp 167 watt PV modules mounted on the existing standing seam metal roof with S-5! clips that require no roof penetrations.

Owner Barry Owen with the new PV power system.

An OutBack PS2 power panel with MX60 charge controller, single 3,500 watt/24 volt sine wave inverter, and AC/DC power centers, along with an OutBack PSR battery cabinet were mounted in a new pan abode shed next to the house.

The OutBack MATE system controller was mounted inside the kitchen where it could be easily monitored. The battery bank consists of four MK 8D8G, 265 amp hour, 12 volt sealed gel batteries that require no maintenance during the Owen's absence.

The 1960s vintage Onan propane generator shed with the new GSCM in the upper right.

The new PV system was integrated with the existing Onan generator with a Generator Start Control Module (GSCM) from Atkinson Electronics. The OutBack inverter will automatically start and stop the generator as needed to meet heavy loads or charge the battery bank. The system has met the Owen’s expectations by providing clean, silent power while easily handling the starting surge requirements of their water pumps. By carefully adjusting the inverter search feature, their clock controlled satellite radio shuts off automatically at night and then the inverter goes into sleep mode, conserving battery power until activated immediately by a light switch or other electrical load. They wonder why they didn't "go solar" long before now!