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What is an atmospheric river? A look at the force behind the flooding in B.C.

Courtesy of BC Transportation/Twitter

Parts of British Columbia have been hit with intense flooding that has washed out highways, destroyed infrastructure, and brought evacuation orders to areas like the Fraser Valley. What some officials are calling “the worst weather storm in a century” is the result of an atmospheric river—a natural occurrence that can have devastating consequences.

What is an atmospheric river?

We usually think of rivers on the ground, but they can also take shape in the sky, forming a long band of concentrated moisture that turns into heavy rain or snow once it makes landfall. Dr. Brent Ward, a professor in the earth sciences department of Simon Fraser University, says atmospheric rivers used to be called “pineapple expresses” since they often originated near Hawaii, but we now know they can form in more places. 

Though it’s common for atmospheric rivers to make landfall in B.C.—there have already been five this year, Ward says—they usually don’t cause this level of destruction. “They’ll hit Vancouver Island and there’ll be landslides and high rivers, but often it’s outside of Tofino, so people don’t notice it as much,” Ward says.

Why do atmospheric rivers happen?

Atmospheric rivers are a key part of the Earth’s water cycles as they transport moisture from the tropics to the Northern and Southern hemispheres. California, for example, relies heavily on atmospheric rivers as a source of rainfall. As with a tornado or hurricane, an atmospheric river doesn’t always make landfall, but experts have found that climate change increases the chances it will, along with the intensity of its impact. 

One 2018 study suggested atmospheric rivers that drift over the Northern hemisphere could increase in size by up to 50 per cent. This is largely due to the warming atmosphere, and as Ward explains, when ocean temperatures increase, it’s easier for water to evaporate up into these sky-bound rivers.

What’s different about the one that hit British Columbia?

The province broke precipitation records over the past few days, but Ward says the pattern of this atmospheric river was also unusual. “It came in a little more East-West,” he says. Once it tracked into the mountainous valleys surrounding Vancouver, “it kept piling up against the mountains, and then dumped all this precipitation at once.”

The intensity of wildfires this summer also played a role. As Ward explains, there’s a strong link between intense forest fires and the chance for debris flows (the technical term for mud or landslides). 

“When we get fires, they’re bigger and hotter, so they’re burning more of the trees and a lot of the organics in the soil,” Ward explains. If forests burn to that extent, the crucial layer which helps retain moisture is stripped away. As a result, a waxy substance is formed over top of the soil, known as a hydrophobic layer. When water hits this, it slides along and doesn’t soak in; Ward likens it to watering a very parched garden. 

“Once the water flows off a slope and hits a steeper area, it’s going fast enough to erode that hydrophobic layer, and sometimes that’s enough to trigger a debris flow,” he says. Ward points out that areas with some of the most destructive debris flows, such as in the town of Merritt, were also where the worst fires happened last summer. He and other environmental experts call this the idea of “cascading hazards.”

How long will this atmospheric river last?

Much of the intense torrential rain has tapered off in B.C., meaning, for now, the worst of this atmospheric river’s landfall in the province has passed. However, its effects can extend to the rest of Canada and beyond, bringing intense rain, snow, wind, and other storm conditions.

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‘Keep your distance’ from invasive pigs roaming in GTA: MNRF

Photo by Shutterstock/yhelfman

Ontario officials are devising pig snaring plans after a highly invasive species has been spotted roaming free east of Toronto. According to the City of Pickering, locals have reported sightings of 14 Eurasian wild boars in north Pickering since November 5.

“Wild pigs are not native to Ontario and they are known to cause wide-scale devastation to wildlife and ecosystems and can cause negative impacts to Ontario’s agriculture sector,” said Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry (MNRF) representative Morgan Kerekes in an email.

Eurasian wild boar, native to Eurasia and North Africa, can grow as large as five feet in length and weigh up to 420 pounds, according to the government of Ontario. Throw in razor-sharp tusks and an omnivorous appetite and you have an imposing species.

The wild pigs are not believed to be established in the area—meaning they’re not self-sustaining or breeding—but the MNRF is working with the City of Pickering to investigate the sightings and are prepared to remove the wild pigs when found.

If left to roam, Kerekes said the animals will damage the local ecosystem in the following ways:

  • Preying on native plants and wildlife.
  • Driving wildlife out of their habitats while competing for food and water.
  • Destroying habitats with their rooting and wallowing behaviour.
  • Spreading disease to wildlife, livestock, and even humans.
  • And damaging private property and agricultural crops

Wild pigs are also known to have high reproductive potential, meaning their population can increase quickly, Kerekes said.

The origin of Pickering’s wild pigs is unconfirmed, but city officials have theorized that the animals either escaped from a nearby farm or were released into the wild. While not native to Canada, Eurasian wild boar were introduced into Ontario farms in the 1980s as an exotic meat option.

As with all wild animals, the pigs can pose a threat to people. While there have been no reports of wild pigs attacking anyone in Ontario, Kerkes said, there have been instances in other jurisdictions where wild pigs have shown aggressive behaviour towards people, livestock, and pets. A 2019 encounter proved fatal for a woman in Texas.

“If you see a wild pig, keep your distance, do not feed them, and keep your pets leashed,” Kerekes said. “If a wild pig poses an immediate threat to personal safety and exhibits threatening or aggressive behaviour, call 911 or your local police.”

Kerekes also stressed the importance of reporting wild pig sightings to the MNRF, particularly among hunters who spend time in the environments where the animals live. If you do spot a wild pig in Ontario, report the sighting by emailing wildpigs@ontario.ca, submit it to the iNaturalist Ontario Wild Pig Reporting page, or call 1-833-933-2355.

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Cottage Life

Wild Profile: Meet the mule deer

By Sean R. Stubben/Shutterstock

Late fall is a big time for mule deer: the rut has begun! Males matched in size duke it out for the right to mate with a chosen female. They’ll lock antlers and fight for hours. Eventually, the weaker mule deer gives up.

Although the mule deer looks similar to the white-tailed deer, the larger species sticks to Western Canada and the Yukon. They’re suited to arid prairie environments and the Rocky Mountains, where they feed mostly on herbaceous plants and woody shrubs as opposed to grass. Even though they have a four-chambered stomach like cows and elk, they’re not as good at digesting certain plants. They have to be choosy about what they eat in order to get enough nutrients

Mule deer sometimes travel by “stotting”: bounding into the air in four-footed leaps. (Gazelle move this way too.) Experts don’t know exactly why they do this. After all, it takes a lot of energy and it’s more likely to attract the attention of predators. That said, one possible reason could be that the deer hopes to show the potential predator that it’s physically fit and healthy. And therefore, will be able to escape. (“Don’t bother coming after me, wolf. You won’t be able to catch me anyway.”)

Mule deer are an iconic species of Western North America; there are nearly a dozen subspecies. They all vary slightly depending on where they live. Black-tailed deer, for example, are a subspecies of mule deer found in the coastal regions of northwestern North America.

In some areas, a mule deer’s range overlaps with white-tailed deer habitat, and the two species do sometimes hybridize. But, ID tip time! The mule deer has big, mule-like ears (about three quarters of the length of its head). Bucks, meanwhile, also have more of a forked antler structure; white-tailed deer have points that grow from a central branch.

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Cottage Life

Chicken Bones, the beloved Maritimes treat, is making its way into your cocktails

Photo by Moonshine Creek Distillery

When most people think about chicken bones, a simmering pot of broth probably comes to mind. But for anyone with a connection to Canada’s Maritime provinces, Chicken Bones are the ultimate wintertime treat. 

First introduced by New Brunswick’s Ganong confectioners in 1885, Chicken Bones are a spicy cinnamon hard candy with a thin chocolate centre. The small pink rectangular treats bear a passing resemblance to their namesake, provided you have a bit of imagination.

 

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No East Coast Christmas table is complete without a cut glass bowl of this candy for snacking and occasionally stirring into hot chocolate. The team at Ganong also suggests adding them to raspberry cheesecake bites and sticky popcorn balls. But another company has come up with a modern twist on this old-fashioned flavour: a liqueur.

Chicken Bones Liqueur is the brainchild of New Brunswick’s Moonshine Creek Distillery. They introduced the candy-inspired spirit (which isn’t affiliated with Ganong) in late 2019 and to say it made a splash would be an understatement—New Brunswickers queued for hours just to get their hands on it. This year, bottles of Chicken Bones Liqueur are making their way across Canada. In fact, you might be offered a dram the next time you visit your cottage neighbours.

Here’s how to enjoy it: it’s lovely in any drink where you’d add a nip or two of Baileys, such as your morning coffee or late-night cocoa. And while it’s a dairy-free product, the spirit is perfect in creamy drinks. “My absolute favourite way to enjoy the Chicken Bones Liqueur is in eggnog. It’s perfect in its simplicity for the holiday season,” says Jeremiah Clark, CEO of Moonshine Creek.

Chicken Bones Liqueur is also very much at home in any recipe that relies on creme de cacao.  According to Jeremiah, a Brandy Alexander is particularly nice when made with Chicken Bones. He suggests a ratio of two ounces of aged brandy, one ounce of Chicken Bones, and one ounce of half-and-half cream. For an extra frothy treat, shake the ingredients without ice and top off the drink with some freshly grated nutmeg. 

However, for those who prefer things a little less creamy, the distillery’s “Dressed To Impress” cocktail will hit a refreshing note. It combines Chicken Bones Liqueur with blood orange juice, egg white, simple syrup, and other spirits for a brunch-friendly libation that would easily convince your friends to help you repair the dock and stain the deck.

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Cottage Life

Cottage Q&A: Why do mammals have whiskers?

By COULANGES/Shutterstock

Why do mammals have whiskers?—Faced with Facts

Mammals use their whiskers—also called vibrissae or tactile hairs—to gather information about their environments. “They play a primary role as sensory tools,” says Kamal Khidas, the curator of vertebrate zoology collections at the Canadian Museum of Nature. Whiskers are longer and thicker than regular hair and are used largely for food finding and navigation, but they also appear to have a role—at least for some species—in communication, pheromone dispersion, and attack behaviour.

Nearly all mammals have whiskers at some stage of their lives. For the most part, they’re located on the face: around the nostrils, above the ears and eyes, and on the chin. Their number, size, location, and arrangement pattern varies.

“It depends on what an animal’s sensory world is like,” says Fiona Reid, the author of the Peterson Field Guide to Mammals of North America. Arboreal mammals tend to have long, dense whiskers; marine mammals have stiffer whiskers, for detecting water currents. Bats have sensory hairs on their hindquarters and feet because they often back into small crevices, says Reid. Rats, who also spend a lot of time in tight, dark spaces, are almost constantly sweeping their facial whiskers back and forth against objects to determine size, shape, and orientation. It’s called “whisking.”

Unless you count hipsters and Abraham Lincoln, humans don’t have whiskers. We likely lost them during evolution.

This article was originally published in the Fall 2016 issue of Cottage Life magazine.

Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.

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Ice skating trails to lace up and try this winter

Photo by Karen Burgess/Shutterstock

Though skating has always been a staple winter pastime, skate trails—areas carved out within natural environments—have become popular in recent years, especially in cottage country. And for a good reason, skating through a forest covered in a dusting of snow makes for an idyllic winter experience. The options on this list are public skating areas, but if you’re looking to skate on the lake right outside your door, be sure to brush up on how to do so safely.

Patinage en Foret, Lac Des Loups, Que.

About an hour’s drive from Ottawa, this skating trail is a popular winter day trip. The name ‘skating through the forest’ is apt, as you weave in and out of tall trees, making it feel like a magical winter wonderland. You can buy either a daily pass or season’s pass, and prices vary based on age and group size.

RiverOak skating trail, Ottawa, Ont.

A beautiful location within Ottawa’s city limits, RiverOak is a year-round event venue hosting weddings, conferences and more. It’s located on a small waterway that makes for the perfect skating loop in the winter. The trail is shorter than other places on this list, so it’s a good option for youngsters and beginners.

Arrowhead Ice Skating Trail, Huntsville, Ont.

This is a classic if you’re familiar with the area! Arrowhead Provincial Park has great offerings for skating and other winter activities like cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. This popular spot gets very busy, especially on weekends, so make sure to plan and check conditions beforehand.

MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Port Elgin, Ont.

Billed as a ‘best kept’ winter secret, this 400-metre skating trail near the shores of Lake Huron is an easy getaway that can accommodate skaters at all levels. There are trail lights used at night so that you can skate until as late as 10 p.m. There’s also a large ice hockey area and warming huts for when you need some rest.

Johnston’s Cranberry Marsh trail, Bala, Ont.

You may be familiar with this cranberry marsh as a popular fall activity in Muskoka, but did you know the farm also has a skating trail come winter? This 1.2-kilometre loop takes you around the 12 acres of cranberries and its surrounding forest. Weather permitting, the trail lights up with 400 tiki torches for what’s known as a ‘Light the Night’ skate each Saturday.

Kivi Park, Sudbury, Ont.

While this all-season park is known for its Nordic skiing, it unveiled a skating trail called Nina’s Way Skating Path this past season. A 1.3-kilometre long trail that loops through the park’s tall birch trees, the path is open at night and lit up, and there are skate rentals and warming cabins on site.

Lake Louise, Alba.

Although it takes place on an open lake rather than a trail, we couldn’t talk about the best winter skating spots without naming the beautiful, iconic Lake Louise. Skating on the lake typically starts around mid-December, but always be sure to check conditions in advance. You can also skate at night for an even more magical experience.

Fort Whyte Alive, Winnipeg, Man.

This large, impressive nature area transforms into a winter paradise each year, with skating, snowshoeing, and hiking available. There is a fee for day-use of the site and a check-in spot where you can find ice trail conditions and the best options for your group and experience level.

Lake Windermere Whiteway, Invermere, B.C.

Clocking in at 29.98 kilometres, this ice skating trail is the longest in the world! Not sure if you can skate that  far? The track is also open to cross-country skiers and skate skiing. There are three entry points to the Whiteway with maps and a donation box: at Kinsmen beach in Invermere, Invermere Bay Condos, and at Windermere Beach.

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Parasitic wasps turn other insects into ‘zombies’ (and save millions of humans)

Photo by Jeff W. Jarrett/ Shutterstock

Wasps have a reputation for being jerks because of their perceived aggressiveness and ability to sting repeatedly. They’re often negatively compared with the honey production and agricultural pollination of bees.

If wasps are jerks, however, they are positively saintly compared to their parasitic brethren.

Parasitic wasps sting to inject their eggs into a host, often accompanied by venom and a virus. Their larvae grow and eventually emerge from the unwitting host—usually killing it. Then they becoming adults and fly off to continue the cycle.

Some wasps go further, controlling their host’s behaviour, effectively “zombifying” them to help the larva survive. After studying the behaviour of ichneumon wasps, which lay their eggs in moth larvae, naturalist Charles Darwin wrote that they were so evil that they were proof against the idea that God was directing evolution:

“I cannot persuade myself that a beneficent & omnipotent God would have designedly created the Ichneumonidæ with the express intention of their feeding within the living bodies of caterpillars.”

While no wasps are known to lay eggs in humans (although some flies do), they have inspired films like the Alien franchise and the recently released monster survival video game House of Ashes.

Ridley Scott’s 1979 movie ‘Alien’ centred on a parasitic alien species.

But whether inspiring horror or metaphysical questions, parasitic wasps also save millions of human lives.

Parasitic wasps to the rescue

In the 1970s, the cassava mealybug (Phenacoccus manihoti) entered Western and Central Africa as an invasive pest species from Brazil. It rapidly spread across cassava fields causing crop losses as high as 80 per cent. The cassava plant is a staple food crop because it is drought-resistant. The mealybug invasion threatened the food base of 200 million people.

The Swiss entomologist Hans Rudolf Herren, who was conducting research in the area, found a wasp parasitizing the mealybug (Epidinocarsis lopezi). The parasitic wasp posed little risk to sub-Saharan species.

After rearing the wasps and gathering funding, Herren bought planes and co-ordinated strategic airdrops and ground release of wasp cocoons to areas affected by the mealybug. From those locations, the wasp populations grew and spread on their own, reducing the mealybug population to manageable levels for years.

This effort saved an estimated 20 million lives, billions in crops and avoided the use of pesticides. Herren received the World Food Prize in 1995 for his efforts.

David Attenborough describes the habits of parasitic wasps for BBC Earth.

Biocontrol heroes

Biocontrol is the use of one organism to combat a pest, and this was far from the only successful case of wasps as biocontrol. Wasps have successfully defended against many crop pests in Chinese agriculture.

The samurai wasp (Trissolcus japonicus) was being studied for potential use against the brown marmorated stinkbug, a threat to many crops across the continental United States. However, the wasp preempted this, moving into stinkbug territories on its own.

Wasps are even being deployed to prevent moths from damaging historical sites and their artifacts. Here in Canada, at least four wasp species have been released to control the emerald ash borer, a cause of deforestation across Canada.

Pros and cons

Biocontrol has several advantages over pesticides. Populations can grow and spread on their own, as demonstrated by the samurai wasps, whereas pesticides typically need humans to spread them. Organisms can maintain their presence over the long-term without human intervention, while pesticides often require repeat applications. Pests can also evolve to resist pesticides in as few as 20 generations. And as biocontrol uses another organism, they can evolve in response the pest’s defences.

Biocontrol is not free from issues. It often introduces a new invasive species to deal with an existing one. It can be difficult to predict the effects of a new species on an unprepared ecosystem.

For example, the cane toad was introduced in Australia to eat several insect pests there. Instead, the poisonous toad became a lethal meal for several native species, disrupting many other parts of the ecosystems there.

A laughing kookaburra eats a cane toad. Some kookaburras die from ingesting the poisonous toads.
(Photo by Chris Ison/Shutterstock)

Parasites may avoid some of these issues as, unlike predators, they are often limited to a single or very few host species, making them less likely to go off-target and affect species other than the intended one.

Given that most agricultural pests are insects and most pest insects are targeted by at least one parasitic wasp (there are an estimated 750,000 parasitic wasp species), this gives a legion of options to study for safe and effective pest management.

So next time you’re online and see wasps being unfairly maligned, consider the millions of humans across the world who are alive and able to feed themselves because of them. And maybe this upcoming Halloween, should you encounter the spirit of a certain 1800s English naturalist going on about the theological implications of parasitic wasps’ evil, tell him of the good they can do.The Conversation

Dylan Miller, PhD student, Neuroscience, Dalhousie University and Shelley Adamo, Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience, Dalhousie University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Read more: Meet a parasitic wasp, the stump-stabber wasp 

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Cottage Life

Hospitality industry welcomes new ‘staycation’ tax credit

Photo Courtesy of Deerhurst Resort

The U.S. border may be open but Premier Doug Ford is trying to keep Ontario vacationers close to home. In the 2021 Ontario Economic and Fiscal Review released last Thursday, the provincial government laid out a proposal for a “staycation tax credit” to help bolster a hard-hit tourism industry.

“Our government has a responsible and prudent plan that creates the conditions for an economic and fiscal recovery driven by growth,” said finance minister Peter Bethlenfalvy in a release.

The personal income tax credit—available during the 2022 tax year—would allow Ontarians to claim 20 per cent of the cost of vacation rental accommodations up to $1,000 for individuals or $2,000 for families. This means that individuals could get a maximum tax break of $200 and families $400.

The credit will apply to any vacation accommodation booked between January 1 and December 31, 2022, with Ontario residents able to apply for the credit in their 2022 tax return.

Eligible accommodations include hotels, motels, resorts, lodges, bed and breakfasts, cottages, and campgrounds in Ontario as long as the stay is less than a month in length and the reason for the booking is leisure rather than business.

The tax credit would cost the government $270 million and support an estimated one-and-a-half million families.

Ontario’s cottage country accommodations are optimistic about the initiative. “Anything that is supporting and incentivizing stays within Ontario would be welcome,” said Laura Kennedy, director of marketing for Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville.

“The timing of the incentive is good. As more travel destinations are starting to open up again, obviously there’s more competition with Ontario. So, I think it’s great to reward and incentivize Ontarians to stay in their province. And I think a lot of Ontarians have been discovering how many great travel destinations there are within their own backyard.”

While the pandemic did force Deerhurst to close its doors for three months in March 2020, demand over summer 2021 and into the fall has soared, Kennedy said. “There were actually times that we stopped taking bookings because of staff shortages.”

Heading into the holidays, Kennedy said that booking demand is pacing approximately 25 per cent ahead of where the resort would normally be.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath has criticized the Ford government for not going far enough. “Local tourism and hospitality businesses need and deserve more help to make it through the winter,” she said in a release.

In July 2020, NDP MPP Wayne Gates proposed an Ontario tourism tax refund of $1,000 per family. The Ford government initially walked away from the bill and have since reduced it to $400 per family.

Categories
Cottage Life

Hospitality industry welcomes new ‘staycation’ tax credit

Photo Courtesy of Deerhurst Resort

The U.S. border may be open but Premier Doug Ford is trying to keep Ontario vacationers close to home. In the 2021 Ontario Economic and Fiscal Review released last Thursday, the provincial government laid out a proposal for a “staycation tax credit” to help bolster a hard-hit tourism industry.

“Our government has a responsible and prudent plan that creates the conditions for an economic and fiscal recovery driven by growth,” said finance minister Peter Bethlenfalvy in a release.

The personal income tax credit—available during the 2022 tax year—would allow Ontarians to claim 20 per cent of the cost of vacation rental accommodations up to $1,000 for individuals or $2,000 for families. This means that individuals could get a maximum tax break of $200 and families $400.

The credit will apply to any vacation accommodation booked between January 1 and December 31, 2022, with Ontario residents able to apply for the credit in their 2022 tax return.

Eligible accommodations include hotels, motels, resorts, lodges, bed and breakfasts, cottages, and campgrounds in Ontario as long as the stay is less than a month in length and the reason for the booking is leisure rather than business.

The tax credit would cost the government $270 million and support an estimated one-and-a-half million families.

Ontario’s cottage country accommodations are optimistic about the initiative. “Anything that is supporting and incentivizing stays within Ontario would be welcome,” said Laura Kennedy, director of marketing for Deerhurst Resort in Huntsville.

“The timing of the incentive is good. As more travel destinations are starting to open up again, obviously there’s more competition with Ontario. So, I think it’s great to reward and incentivize Ontarians to stay in their province. And I think a lot of Ontarians have been discovering how many great travel destinations there are within their own backyard.”

While the pandemic did force Deerhurst to close its doors for three months in March 2020, demand over summer 2021 and into the fall has soared, Kennedy said. “There were actually times that we stopped taking bookings because of staff shortages.”

Heading into the holidays, Kennedy said that booking demand is pacing approximately 25 per cent ahead of where the resort would normally be.

Ontario NDP leader Andrea Horwath has criticized the Ford government for not going far enough. “Local tourism and hospitality businesses need and deserve more help to make it through the winter,” she said in a release.

In July 2020, NDP MPP Wayne Gates proposed an Ontario tourism tax refund of $1,000 per family. The Ford government initially walked away from the bill and have since reduced it to $400 per family.

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Cottage Life

Off-grid solar power at the cottage is now easier than ever

Cottagers leave a lot to chance. We can plan our meals and choose the best route north on a Friday afternoon, but the rest of the cottage experience, from the weather to the traffic—and whether the blackflies are biting—is a lot less reliable. And for cottagers in remote areas, part of that lack of reliability means dealing with power outages. That’s why Canada’s own Hybrid Power Solutions created a backup power system that makes reliable off-grid power storage a reality, whether you’re storing energy from your solar panels or simply reducing your reliance on the grid.

To learn more about off-grid power storage, we sat down with company owner Francois Byrne to see how his battery systems plug perfectly into the cottage experience.

Cottage Life: You have a specific system called the “Cottager.” What makes it ideal for cottage applications?

Francois Byrne: The Cottager is a fuel-free, reliable power solution that we designed for people who have a medium-size cottage, and they either want to go completely off the grid or just lower their hydro bills. We designed it as a kit that comes with all the major components, including the battery, inverter, and six solar panels, so it’s got everything you need to get up and running. It’s based on our Power Tower, which we think of as the Apple product of the off-grid world, and it’s as “plug and play” as an off-grid power system can be.

CL: What are the main ways that cottagers are using them?

FB: The cool thing about the Power Tower—and any of our pre-assembled packages—is that you can use them in three different scenarios. If someone’s fully off-grid, it can be their primary power source for their home or cottage. The second way is for anyone who wants to reduce their energy use. They’re not ready to go fully off grid, but they want a smaller hydro bill. For them, the system will prioritize solar power and battery power, and it will use the grid only when those aren’t available. It also gives you a backup power source. So if the grid were to go down, you’d be able to power your entire home in an off-grid scenario until it’s back up. And the third mode is using it as a straight backup power system. So for cottagers who deal with a lot of power outages, they don’t want to lose food in their fridge or have a flooded basement because their sump pump isn’t working. In those scenarios, the same system can be configured as backup power for the whole cottage, or just for essential circuits. 

CL: So this isn’t purely a solar storage system.

FB: Solar power is definitely the most popular way of charging it, but you can use the grid when it’s available. We have customers who’ve already got a generator that was installed long before solar and battery technology was as sophisticated as it is today, but they don’t like the noise or the fumes. They can use the generator to charge up the system and then run their cottage off the battery. That way, they’re only running the generator for two or three hours instead of 24 hours a day. Then for the rest of the day, they’re completely silent and running off the battery. We also have clients who use wind turbines to charge the system. You could even do all of those things—generator, solar, and wind—at the same time if you wanted to.

CL: You mentioned that the Cottager system is for medium-size cottages, but some cottages use a lot of power, whereas others are more rustic. How can owners figure out how much power they’ll need in a battery system?

FB: We’re going to be launching an online calculator to help people determine what they need, but our team is always there to help with those measurements. The easiest way is to look at your last year of hydro bills. From those, we can see how many kilowatt-hours you’ve spent on average. Or we can look at the different appliances you’re powering, and we can make a solid guess at how much power you’ll need. The great thing about our system is that it’s scalable, so even if the measurements aren’t perfect right off the bat, it’s simple to add more batteries to the system once it’s installed. That means people aren’t overspending on storage they don’t need, and it also means they’re covered if they decide to expand their system because of new appliances or power needs.

CL: Where do people usually install it in their cottages? Does it need a lot of space?

Canadian electrical code specifies where you can and can’t store a piece of equipment, and there are people who have dedicated electrical loops, so they’ve transformed a closet or even a whole room into a dedicated electrical room. That way they can lock it to prevent children or anyone else from playing around in there. The other option that’s becoming a lot more popular is using a garage or a shed that’s near the home or cottage. Our new lithium batteries, which work down to -30 Celsius and have built-in heating systems, can be installed in sheds or garages that aren’t heated.

CL: You describe your systems as “plug and play.” Does that mean cottagers can install them without a contractor?

FB: We’ve had customers who’ve tackled it themselves, but there are regulations to follow, so you should definitely have a master electrician come in and sign off on the work. We’ve made the system as simple as possible to install, so you can certainly do some of the work yourself and save some money, but you should still have a professional come in and check it over. 

CL: Can people with winterized cottages use your solar backup system year-round, even when it’s cold and overcast?

FB: There’s obviously a lot less sun in the winter, but what many people don’t realize is that solar panels are actually a lot more efficient when they’re cool. So when you’ve got a day that’s -10 or -15 degrees celsius, you might only get four or five hours of good sunlight, but you’ll be producing more power during those times. We’ve also switched to strictly providing bifacial solar panels in our kits. They cost about the same as standard panels, but they take in energy from both the front and the back. With those panels, you can get up to 30 percent more energy from the reflection of solar light, especially with snow, which is a great reflector of sunlight, so solar charging in the winter isn’t a problem at all.

CL: So that means going for days without power after winter storms would be a thing of the past.

FB: That’s one of the main reasons we like to tie the system in with solar, because we never know if those outages are going to be a one-day thing or a seven-day thing. That’s the beauty of solar—it allows you to go indefinitely. If you put up the right number of panels and you understand how much power you’re using, you could go forever. So even if you’re still on the grid, you’re ready to go off grid whenever something unpredictable happens.

CL: If someone’s away from their cottage for weeks or months, will the system hold a charge, or will it need to be recharged when people show up at the lake?

FB: There are a few different scenarios. There are the people who shut down their system when they’re not around, whether they’re just at the cottage on weekends or they’re shutting down for the whole winter. Those clients will actually turn off the Power Tower itself, but the solar charger always stays on. So whenever you return, your batteries are full and you’re ready to go. Others don’t want to totally shut down their power—they might have food in the fridge or freezer that they don’t want to spoil. They can leave the system running all the time on a small load. So when they get back, the system’s fully charged. For those who want to do a complete shutdown for a season, the new batteries that we’ve just released are one of the only batteries on the market that are rated for -30 degrees Celsius for operation and -40 degrees for storage. And since the inside of a home or cottage in Canada will never reach anywhere near -40 degrees, it’ll hold a charge all winter.

CL: For those who have concerns about batteries in their cottage, what sort of safety measures have you taken?

FB: We use a chemistry called lithium iron phosphate. For those who aren’t familiar with it, it’s one of the safest chemistries on the market. We started off in the mining industry, and it was mandated by these larger organizations because of its track record of safety. It’s also a perfect chemistry for residential and cottage applications, which is why we stuck with it. So the safety of our batteries starts at a chemical level. But we also add extra levels of protection. We’ve got what we call a “full-scale battery management system,” which can detect any kind of anomaly and shut down the power. And on top of that, we’ve got a circuit breaker and a fuse, so we really have four lines of defense against any kind of problems.

CL: How long will the battery last in a typical cottage application?

FB: There are a ton of factors that go into what makes a battery last, but all lithium iron phosphate batteries are designed to work for 10 to 20 years. That wide variation is because batteries are cycle-rated. Each time you charge and discharge equals one cycle. And it also depends on how you cycle it: if you’re using 100 percent of that energy and draining it all the way to zero percent every time, that obviously puts more abuse on the battery than if you’re just using 50 or 80 percent of the battery before charging. Depending on how you use them, these batteries could last from 3,000 to 10,000 cycles. But the typical user can expect to get 20 years out of them.

CL: Where can cottagers learn more about your systems?

FB: The easiest way is to get in touch with us through our website. We’ve got a great chat function during business hours, so you can talk to us live right there, or we have a call-back feature if you’d like us to call you. Once we’re in touch, we’ll size up exactly what your cottage needs. Then we can help you figure out whether it’s best to install the system directly with us, or whether you want us to set you up with one of our local installers, who can handle the full installation for you.

Have questions about off-grid solar storage or backup power at your cottage? Learn more at hybridps.ca.