Advanced OffGrid PowerSystems
Advanced OffGrid Power-systems
The information here are more advanced setups. It is assumed that the reader has the basic knowledge of solar, inverters, charge-controllers, batteries, generators and basic solar-system types.
For questions or input join our community discord server.
Redundancy
If a vital system breaks and you do not have a local backup installed or a workaround is deemed impossible you might be in a position of having to source things quickly. Having systems setup from the start that take that into account can ease a lot of stress and basically removes the need for spending “emergency $/€” to workaround something until it gets properly replaced. This should also be taken into consideration for the budget.
Example: having a generator is a legit “workaround” for your electric system, good to use when maintaining batteries, changing cables, installing new solar panels etc, but it is not a “backup” for when your main inverter dies. It is exponentially more expensive to run a full household 24/7 on a generator, to maintain everything while you need to wait for your new inverter to arrive. The proper backup would be to have a 2 inverters setup, use one as default and resort to using the 2nd if the default one fails. If it does, casually order a new inverter; and when it arrives run your generator for 20 minutes whilst replacing the broken one.
The Core
For redundant OffGrid power-system we recommend to use “OffGrid Inverters”
(also called hybrid inverters or All in One Units, the terminology is a bit loose there) .
These OffGrid Inverters simplify your footprint by housing four critical systems under one enclosure:
Inverter: Handles DC to AC power conversion.
Solar Charge Controller: Manages DC to DC solar incoming power.
Utility/Generator Charger: Converts incoming AC generator power to DC battery storage.
Management Computer: Coordinates total system logic, manageable via USB, Wi-Fi, or Bluetooth.
Redundant Off-Grid Power-system
The idea behind this approach is a maximum of flexibility and redundancy. Having two inverters gives plenty of options for the household, and eases the load on each for bigger houses.
It is recommended to not “hard wire” the battery to utility connection but use plugs and flexible cables. (These plugs are usually used for electric forklifts). If need be you can then always connect any device to any battery. For bad weather conditions this can be great, you have the option to connect all your solar-lines to a single battery. No matter which part breaks or needs maintenance in the setup, your power is sustainable.
“TheHappyBunker” Power-system
To see these exact concepts implemented in a real-world scenario check out our “TheHappyBunker” Project Specifications, where we scale these redundant systems for harsh mountain winters.
A certified, tested and running system that is used in the HappyBunker project. The location is central Europa in the Czech mountains. This is built to sustain electricity during prolonged periods of fog, clouds, snow and general bad conditions.
For questions or input join our community discord server.