Off-Grid solar power systems
An off-grid solar system allows you to live with all the comforts of home, without any connection to the commercial electrical grid, even in the most remote location.
Off-grid solar is usually considered when it’s cost prohibitive, or physically not possible, to connect to the grid. These systems always require a secondary source of power such as a generator for low generation times or large loads such as dishwashers and dryers.
Living off-grid usually means a shift in the way we run our houses, for example using a log burner for heating and gas for cooking. It also usually requires the owner to have a good understanding of how the system works, what its capabilities are and how to maintain it.
An off-grid solar system is very site and customer specific and there is a large amount of system design involved. For example, batteries all have their own personal charge characteristics and ideal charge current. It is important to match the array to the batteries to ensure you are providing the charge that they require, otherwise you risk damaging them prematurely.
Sunergy Solar only use quality products and are proud to be installers of Century Enersun batteries, SMA and Outback Power inverters and charge controller.
How it works
Solar panel arrays are stationed on the roof or on a ground based stand. They capture sunlight during the day and sending generated power to an inverter, which converts it to 230V AC and sends it to the switchboard.
While the panels generate more power than is being consumed, a secondary charge control inverter manages the flow of power, channeling the excess to a battery bank for storage.
While the array is not generating, the controler draws power from the battery bank to supply the switchboard.
In the event there isn’t enough power in the battery bank, the controller starts a generator and feeds that power back to the switchboard, with any further excess charging the battery bank.
freedom!
Using quality products
Having good quality, well designed components can make all the difference to how well your off-grid solar system performs and how long it lasts.
There are many different products available on the market, so how do you know what is good, bad, or best suited to your particular off-grid solar system?
We’ve done all that for you—with our years of experience and lots of up to date research, Sunergy Solar use and sell tier 1 (that’s the best) panels from Trina and Seraphim Solar, as well as German engineered inverters from SMA and Zever Solar. All of our products have market leading warranties.
For more information, see our product range. Our products are purchased through local supply partners so you can have confidence in the warranties and that you’re not buying parallel imported product.
What does an Off-Grid Solar Power System Cost?
Every off-grid solar system is designed and priced individually. Below is indicative pricing for 2 common systems we install:
10KWH/DAY CONSUMPTION
| 6.5kW array (24 x Seraphim 270) | $8,150 |
| Racking, cables and misc gear | $3,260 |
| SMA Sunnyboy 5.0 inverter | $3,040 |
| SMA Sunny Island 6kW inverter | $6,500 |
| Sonnen A602 1415Ah battery bank | $24,450 |
| Design, installation and commissioning | $6,100 |
| Total Investment (incl GST) | $51,500 |
7KWH/DAY CONSUMPTION
| 4.3kW array (16 x Seraphim 270) | $8,150 |
| Racking, cables and misc gear | $2,820 |
| SMA Sunnyboy 4.0 | $2,830 |
| SMA Sunny Island 6kW inverter | $6,500 |
| Sonnen 2RPG 1040Ah battery bank | $18,900 |
| Design, installation and commissioning | $6,100 |
| Total Investment (incl GST) | $42,000 |
THE WEEKENDER
| 1.6 kW Array (6 x Seraphim 270) | $2,950 |
| Racking, cables and misc gear | $1,150 |
| Victron Inverter 24/1600 | $2,950 |
| Crown 24V 430Ah battery bank | $3,450 |
| Insulated Battery Enclosure | $1,000 |
| Design, installation and commissioning | $3,000 |
| Total Investment (incl GST) | $13,950 |
Generators
We recommend a quality Kohler LPG generator for our off-grid solar systems. Our three primary reasons are:
- LPG doesn’t go stale,
- LPG generators are considerably cheaper per kW than a diesel alternative,
- You cannot damage a LPG engine by idling under low load, which is often the case with off-grid solar systems.
Kohler 14RESA
A specifically designed LPG generator with a 48V DC output for use with renewable power systems. The generator couples directly to the batteries and has its own battery monitoring system which will start the generator if the battery voltage drops below a preset level. It can also start under high load situations to provide additional power, so that it reduces draw on the batteries and increases battery life.
Kohler 6VSG
An LPG generator set driven by the same Kohler engine as the 6VSG. This unit delivers smooth 230V AC power which can be used in the house for larger loads as well as to charge the batteries via the inverter / charge controller.
