What is off grid solar?
An off-grid solar electricity system (Island System) is a form of electricity supply operating independently from public grid connections. There is a wide variety of possible applications, ranging from electricity supply for boats, caravans, vacation homes, and remote facilities as well as telecommunication systems (like relay stations), surveillance and measuring systems all the way to the supply for remote farms, medical stations, and even entire rural villages.
Whether it be for a small or large new or existing home, a station, a business, or an entire community that depends on large diesel generators, off-grid standalone power systems are commonly the reliable, clean, hassle-free, cost-competitive answer!
How do off grid systems works?
Off-grid systems supply electricity to properties that are not connected to or have chosen to disconnect from, the public electricity network.
Photovoltaic (PV) solar panels convert sunlight to direct current (DC) electricity, which is then fed through the solar inverter to create usable alternating current (AC) electricity. AC electricity is then sent to the switchboard, where it is sent to the household appliances that are using electricity at the time, and any surplus electricity is sent to the battery bank to recharge it.
The inverter/charger will stop the solar system from recharging the batteries once they are full. When your solar system is not producing electricity, your battery bank will send power to your household appliances.
If the battery bank state-of-charge level gets too low, the inverter/charger will turn on the fuel generator automatically to power the house's electrical appliances and recharge the battery bank.
There are two different ways of configuring an off-grid system – AC-Coupling and DC-Coupling – and each have unique advantages. The configuration type will have an impact on the life expectancy, efficiency, and flexibility of your system.