Off-Grid Systems

During our recent country shows we have been talking with farmers and growers about the benefits of installing off-grid systems on barns and out-buildings. We find that many such clients are keen to install grid-tied systems but have been quoted anything up to £50,000 to run mains power to the nominated building. On investigation we often discover that the client only requires a small amount of power draw and/or only needs this power for short periods to run monitoring equipment, lights or security cameras.

A small off-grid system consisting (typically) of 3 x 250 panels, 2 x AGM batteries (maintenance free) and a high quality inverter can be installed in a few hours by someone with good DIY and electrical knowledge or by our expert teams. Power can then be drawn 24 hours a day on-demand via the batteries, provided that the system is correctly sized versus the expected power draw. If further power is required a larger kit can be installed (depending on roof size) or a small wind turbine can be specified to run with the panels.

If clients are left with any doubt as to whether this works then I note the existence of many such off-grid systems now widely seen across the UK. Such examples are the many solar and wind speed warning signs at the entrance to country villages, solar parking metres, traffic delay signs etc.

I was also involved in specifying roof mounted solar kits for country railway stations to run information boards. The cost of digging up railway lines is huge, let alone the cost of subsequent train delays and the resultant logistic problems. Solar PV, wind and other renewables provide more than just a Feed in Tariff led investment. A combined system can save clients time and money. Tell us about your requirements.