Designing an off-grid power system is not the easiest of tasks, if you choose the do it yourself route. However, here are some steps to help get your project underway.

How Much Power is Required?

This is the first and most important step, and one that often gets overlooked. There is little point carrying on with any further planning if you don’t know how much energy you’ll be requiring. It would be a bit like planning a vacation without knowing how you’re going to get there. Online, there are calculators that can be used. Remember to include everything you are planning to power with your new system.

How Many Batteries Are Needed?

Once you’ve figured out how much power you’ll need, it will be easy to calculate the number of batteries. Ask yourself whether you want to store enough energy for just a couple of days or longer. Is there going to be an alternative source of energy for when the sun isn’t shining? Think about where the batteries will be stored, as this will influence their effectiveness. What voltage battery are you going to use? 48V, 24V or 12V?

How Many Panels?

There are online calculators that will help with this question. All you need to do is enter the hours of sunshine you’re expecting to receive. Work on the worst case scenario, as this will mean you don’t end up short of energy.

What Type of Charge Controller?

Two types of controllers are available. A PWM charger can be used when the voltage of the solar panel is the same as the bank of batteries. Otherwise, an MPPT charge controller will have to be used.

Choose an Inverter

An inverter is used to make the power that is being stored usable. An inverter is required if AC loads need to be powered. It will convert the direct current from the batteries into alternating current for various appliances. You also need to be certain of the AC voltage that is required. The standard in Europe is different than in North America, where it is a 120/240V split phase.

Other Components

The previous points are the most important, but there are still a few more components that need to be considered—for example, the type of breaker box that will be used and how the solar panels will be mounted. The fuses and breakers being used for overcurrent protection and the size of wire to be used also need to be thought about.

If you want to design a system for off-grid solar power in Frederick, these are the steps you need to follow. Alternatively, it is possible to call on experts who will be able to do it all for you.