Off Grid (Stand Alone) Remote Solar
and Wind Power Systems

Bright Green Energy is an expert in the design and supply of solar energy and wind power systems for all sorts of remote applications.  We have designed, supplied and installed systems for a wide range of clients, including the Environment Agency, Thames Water PLC, Network Rail and many more besides. We have designed a wide variety of off-grid systems including: remote CCTV; water pumping; remote instrumentation-river ph monitoring; data acquisition; remote automation; school classrooms, as well as residential electricity for the home. We can design and supply a system to meet your exact needs and our systems include all balance-of-system components.

Configurations may include a mixture of possible electrical generating sources, including inverters and batteries. Options include:

• Solar PV modules
• wind turbines
• small hydroelectric generators
• diesel or petrol generators
• hybrid systems comprising of two or more of those mentioned above.

If you are planning to implement an off-grid or stand-alone energy system then you need to download our quick and easy to use ENERGY ASSESSMENT CALCULATOR

How to use the Energy Assessment Calculator
Open the spreadsheet, fill in your details in the Customer Information Sheet, then proceed to detail your power requirements, following the examples shown; overwrite the examples if necessary; email it back to us on sales@brightgreenenergy.co.uk. Upon receipt we will send you a quote. 

If you really need more information of the design of off-grid energy systems then you should read:
 OFF GRID SYSTEM DESIGN

Wind Turbine & Solar Panel (Hybrid)

Combination provides

24 x 7 power

for off-grid applications.

Off grid power systems are ideal for providing energy to rural properties, holiday homes, alternative power systems and small community power supplies. If you live in an area where there is no electricity and connecting to the electricity grid is not an option, most likely it is far too expensive! The UK is unusual in that it experiences good wind conditions so wind power is certainly viable. Coupled with sunshine, a solar and wind solution provides a reliable, safe, environmentally friendly and user-friendly source of electricity for a very long time. A solar and./or wind power solution will need little maintenance simply because there are no moving parts. Component failure is very rare and come with superb guarantees, solar panels offer a 25 year warranty as standard. Best of all, you are generating your own electricity for free!

With an off grid system you will need somewhere to store the generated electricity and this is usually stored in batteries. The battery bank provides electricity at night, and during periods of cloud cover.

Remote power systems are installed for a range of reasons, including:

• expensive grid connection;
• desire to use renewable energy;
• low running costs;
• environmentally safe - no overhead wires;
• desire for independence from the grid.

Systems can comprise of a stand-alone pv system and wind turbine, solar pv system.

Stand-alone solar (only PV) systems require high availability and so systems are often oversized, to account for long summer and/or short winter sunshine. Over sizing is expensive, but may be necessary for applications in remote areas, On the other hand, house design and orientation, plus a planned maintenance schedule and careful choice of energy sources and appliances are of critical importance.
General suggestions and rules with off-grid systems.

EXAMPLE: OFF-GRID POWER SYSTEM - WATER PUMPING

Dual Wind Turbine and Solar PV Off-Grid System Application: Remote water pumping.	Close up of remote water pumping power system
Close up of wind turbine and solar panel	Wind turbine and solar panels protected by anti-vandal/climb collar.
Designed, supplied and installed by Bright Green Energy Ltd

It goes without saying that Off-Grid systems cannot be made 100% reliable, all year round, unless a careful and detailed analysis of the required electrical load is made. Wherever possible reduce your energy consumption.

Do not use renewable energy sources for:

• cooking - microwave ovens can be used;
• hot water - use proper solar thermal system;
• space heaters;
• clothes drying;
• air-conditioning.

Fridges may be used, buy you have to be careful to use only energy efficient appliances.

NOTE: never leave appliances in standby mode.

The choice between AC and DC Systems
Homes connected to the electricity grid use AC power for all appliances. For remote power systems this may not be the case as DC appliances are very efficient and using DC appliances means that an inverter is not required. DC systems do require heavier cabling and switches and the range of appliances is much smaller.

Lights
Do not use incandescent lights for lighting as they are totally hopeless and inefficient. Fluorescent lights are about four time more efficient than IL. LED are also now an option to be considered.

Fridges and Freezers
These are energy consumers on a vast scale so choose carefully. Make sure your fridge has an high efficiency rating and choose the smallest one possible to meet your needs. Use a DC fridge if you can.

Microwave ovens
These are the only ovens that should be used with a remote power system. Wood or gas stoves should be considered.

Dishwashers
Use only those that connect to both the hot and cold water systems as they use about 30% less energy than those connected to only to the cold water supply with an internal heater. Connection to the hot or cold system is decided upon by how the water is heated. If the remote power system supplies energy to heat the water then connect to the cold water supply. If water is heated by solar thermal system then connect to the hot water system.

Home Entertainment Systems
Even though TV's, hi-fi systems, videos etc are low power users they can be used for long periods of time so make sure you are energy efficient.

General Kitchen Appliances
The kitchen can be a nightmare for deciding upon which appliances to use. Think of all the appliances used: kettles, toasters, washing machines, electric knives, microwave ovens, radios, telephone - permanently switched on. A recipe for disaster. If a diesel generator is used for backup or additional power requirements then run the heavy loads in synchronization with the generator.

Appliances with electric motors that require heavy starting currents (sometimes up to 5-6 times the rated power use) should not be used with an inverter, but directly from the generator. There are inverters that are able to cope with high transient (start-up) currents and of these only use pure sine wave inverters.

Hybrid System Design
Using a mixture of systems, solar and wind powered systems, there are a number of factors to take into account.

What are the components of an off-grid solar power system?

There are five main components of an off grid system.

• Solar panels and/or wind turbine;
• Solar panel mounting frames and kits;
• controller;
• Battery bank;
• Power Inverter;

A customised system has a lot of options and we can offer a wide range of products to suit all requirements. These include:

Wind Turbine	Solar Panels	Charge Controller	Battery Bank	Power Inverter	Mains Electricity
We will design an off grid system for you. All we need is the following: 1. Daily electrical load in WATTS 2. Daily operating time of each appliance in HOURS 3. Battery storage capacity required in DAYS Please be as accurate as possible.

Example of a Stand Alone Solar (PV) Budget System

You must first work out how much energy you need before making the decision to buy any of the components needed for a solar powered off-grid system. Using our ESTIMATING TABLE as a guide determine an WATT HOUR figure (Wh). Once this is done we can begin the task of determining the size of a solar power system.

A typical 2KW solar PV system would comprise the following:

• a) 10 x Kyocera 215Watt Solar PV modules, 24V
• b) 2 x DC Circuit breakers.
• c) 1 x "Victron Multiplus 5000W, 48V Inverter (48 volt, 5000 watt DC-AC inverter)
• d. 12 x 110Ah AGM batteries.
• e) 3 x Top-of-Pole Mounting frame for solar panels
• f)  Cables for solar panels, inverter and batteries.

The power generated by the 2150W of solar panels is stored in twelve batteries and converted to 240V AC mains electricity via a 48V inverter. All of the following appliances and gadgets can be run (though not all at once!)

• low power lighting
• stereo, tuner, CD and DVD player
• small fridge
• TV and VCR
• computer, printer, and scanner
• kettle
• various power tools
• microwave oven
• toaster
• vacuum cleaner

Solar and Wind Energy Remote Power Supply - 12V DC

Below is a typical configuration using both solar panels and a wind turbine to achieve a remote power supply. In this example, the outputs of both the solar panels and wind turbine are 12V DC. Essentially, there are two systems connected in parallel feeding into batteries that supply the load. Note the use of the isolating switches.

Solar and Wind Turbine Remote Power System feeding into 4 x 200Ah GEL Batteries
A solar and/or wind energy system is a good choice if you have plenty of sun and have a properly designed system. As can be seen from the above diagram building an off-grid wind/solar energy power system requires a few components. Careful design with high quality components and with the correct installation procedures your off-grid and remote power system will last a very, very long time.

We offer a customised design service and are able to design a system that meets your exact needs. Everything we do is ecological responsible and sustainable. We offer complete, efficient, cost effective, and environmental systems.

SYSTEM DESIGN
If you are planning to implement a stand-alone system then you need to download our quick and easy to use ENERGY ASSESSMENT CALCULATOR

Fill in the details of your power requirements, following the example shown, and email it back to us using the above email address. Upon receipt we will send you a quote.