Solar Units 24/7 Monitoring/Recording

⚠️ Why We Don’t Recommend 24/7 Monitoring on Mobile Solar Units

We often get asked why solar-powered mobile units shouldn’t be set to record or monitor 24/7. On the surface, it might seem like more coverage is better, but when it comes to solar power, there’s a real trade-off between performance and energy consumption.

Here’s the reality, backed by engineering estimates from 2022.

🔋 How Much Energy Is Available?

• On average, a mobile unit can charge about 540 watts per day through its solar panels.

• When the unit is monitoring on a 12-hour schedule, it consumes about 420 watts per day. That leaves a little buffer to stay charged and operational.

• But when a unit is set to 24/7 monitoring, it draws around 840 watts per day—300 watts more than it’s able to generate.

⏳ What Happens Over Time?

That 300-watt daily shortfall adds up. Based on this estimate, a unit would fully deplete its power reserve in roughly three weeks. This explains why it might look like everything is working fine at first—until suddenly it’s not.

It’s a gradual drain, and by the time the battery runs out, it’s already too late. You might experience downtime, missed events, or units going offline completely.

🌥️ And That’s the Best-Case Scenario

These numbers don’t even account for:

• Cloudy or overcast weather

• Shade from buildings, trees, or other objects

• Dirty panels

• Incorrect panel positioning

All of these factors can lower solar output even further, meaning the unit could drain faster than expected.

🚫 Why This Impacts GPP and Service Credits

Because of these limitations, setting a mobile solar unit to record or monitor 24/7 goes against best practices and automatically makes the customer ineligible for GPP (Guaranteed Performance Program) and Service Credits. It’s not that we don’t want to support them, it’s that the setup itself is designed to fail over time.

✅ What To Do Instead

Stick to 12-hour monitoring schedules when working with solar-powered mobile units. It’s a reliable, sustainable setup that ensures the units perform as expected and keeps customers eligible for ongoing support.

If you have questions or need help adjusting a unit’s settings, feel free to reach out to the support team.

Let’s keep our solar units running strong, and set the right expectations with our customers. It starts with YOU.