Knowledge Base
OFF-GRID GUIDES
Straight talk on solar sizing, batteries, and going off-grid in eastern Washington.
How to Size a Battery Bank for Off-Grid Solar (Eastern Washington)
Your panels make the power; your batteries decide whether you still have lights at 2 a.m. in February. The simple sizing math, lead-acid vs. lithium, and the cold-weather gotcha that trips people up out here.
Watts, Amps, and Volts — Explained Without the Headache
Volts, amps, and watts, finally made simple. The water-pressure analogy that makes it click, the one formula worth knowing, and why each matters when you're building an off-grid system.
Can You Mix Solar Panels of Different Wattages?
Stringing mismatched panels drags your whole array down to the weakest one — but if the wattages are close, the loss is tiny. Here's the plain-English rundown on series, parallel, and when mixing is actually fine.
WA Solar Depot Is Sponsoring Fourth of July at Andy's Bar & Grill
WA Solar Depot is proud to sponsor this year's Fourth of July celebration at Andy's Bar & Grill in Oroville — live music, drinks, and a beer pong tournament. Come celebrate with us.
How Much Power Do Your Appliances Use — And How Many Panels to Run Them?
From refrigerators and freezers to A/C, heaters, and computers — here is what common appliances really cost in kilowatt-hours, and how many used 300W panels it takes to run them in summer versus winter.
The Real Math on Used Solar Panels: Payback, Longevity, and What to Look For
Used commercial panels at $0.20–$0.35/W can cut payback periods in half. But not all used panels are equal. Here's what the numbers actually show.
Eastern Washington Gets More Summer Sun Than You Think
Okanogan County logs 300+ sunny days a year — more peak sun hours than most of California. Here's what that means for your solar output.
How to Size a Solar System for an Off-Grid Property in the Pacific Northwest
Wrong sizing is the most expensive mistake in off-grid solar. Here's how to do the math right for eastern WA conditions — before you buy a single panel.
Used Solar Panels: Are They Worth It?
We sell used panels. So we have a stake in this answer — but here is the honest breakdown of when used panels make sense and when they do not.
How Many Solar Panels Do You Actually Need?
Skip the sales pitch. Here is the plain math for sizing your off-grid or backup solar system for a home or cabin in eastern Washington.