Hi Meg,
I just saw your post here and I decided to reply. First, it is my first post in this forum as well and second I'm from ON using the solar energy in our off grid house.
I've got an 48V system using 8 of 445Ah Sourrette batteries charged by 2 Midnite Classic 200 and 2 PV arrays: 3.9Kw and 4Kw. I use a Magnum 4.4Kw inverter.
As all of us from Canada, in the winter the big challenge is the sun availability. Personally, so far this winter I'm experiencing an average of max 8h of sun per week plus snow covering the array regularly. As a result, the only option which I have was to charge the batteries by the use of generator.
I purchased an Westinghouse 7500DF, 7.5KW dual fuel(gas/propane) generator using it on propane. I'm running it usually every second or third day around 3 hours. I calculated the cost based on propane rate and came with around 1.8CAD/hour. It's quite an expensive solution plus don't forget that the oil needs to be changed at every 50-60hours. The generator is starting automatically based on battery voltage.
