Stand Alone Solar Systems
It is so vital that your standalone system is designed right, and that incorporates the design and more importantly the products used.
What we design is your only power source, and the last thing you want is an unreliable power source. This is why we always recommend installing an auto start generator.
That way when it's -3 degrees outside and your power goes out you don’t have to head outside to try and start the generator.
It all does it for you.
What is a Stand Alone Solar System?
A stand-alone system is when you are operating as your own total power source. They are usually designed for homes located in semi-rural/rural/remote areas that don’t have access to the power grid, or where the cost of connecting to the grid is too expensive.
This type of power system will require a bank of batteries traditionally deep cycle, but we are now seeing lithium batteries enter the stand-alone market, that are charged by the solar panels and can provide power for three to five days with limited solar input.
Stand-alone power can be either 240 volt or 12 volt. You can run 12 volt appliances directly off the batteries, or run standard home appliances by routing the current through an inverter; which converts it to 240V 50Hz AC electricity.
Designing standalone systems is very different to a grid connected or hybrid system. We factor in ALL your energy usage, therefore as part of our initial consultation we will request you to complete a load profile sheet. We also factor in periods with limited or no solar input. Therefore, a generator is required to be factored in, we highly recommend an auto start one where you will hardly notice when it kicks in but will save you from going out the system on a freezing cold winter's night to start it yourself.
Maintenance
There is maintenance involved in stand-alone systems. But through a monitoring device you will be able to keep an eye on what is happening and when attention may be required. It is advised that you have a solar professional look over your system once a year.
Solar Integrity offers a maintenance program, we schedule your system for a general clean and check over once a year, or more often if you choose (people on dirt roads or high pollution areas might like to have theirs done more often), this will ensure that your solar system remains working at its optimum. We then send a report on your system and our findings. If there is anything requiring attention we will advise.
