Kit solar off grid system means meeting all your energy needs from the power of the sun — with no help from the electrical grid. To make this possible, you need to install a solar power system paired with an energy storage system, like a solar battery, solar off grid inverter,at the site of power consumption (your home).
Installing an off-grid solar system was once a fringe concept due to its large space requirements and prohibitive costs. But advances in solar tech over the last decade have made solar equipment more efficient and less expensive, helping to push them into the mainstream. It’s now a fairly common sight to see RVs and country cabins powered entirely by off-grid solar systems.
If you’re thinking of buying an off-grid solar system for yourself, you’ve come to the right place. In this blog, what you need to know about off grid solar systems before buying one. We’ll help you figure out if an off-grid solar system is right for you, and tell you how to buy the right system for your needs.
While many people think only of solar panels when they hear “off-grid solar”, the reality is that you need to add many other components to get a functioning off-grid PV system.
A complete off-grid solar system is one that has all the necessary equipment to generate, store, and supply solar energy onsite. As off-grid solar systems operate without a connection to any external power source, they are also referred to as “standalone solar power systems”.
Unlike other types of solar setups, such as the more common grid-tied solar system, off-grid solar systems rely on batteries to provide power when the sun isn’t available.
Batteries, however, are costly — much more so than the solar panels they are paired with. The need for ample battery storage in off-grid solar systems makes them much more expensive than grid-tied solar systems.
One of the biggest advantages of solar as an energy source is its scalability and modularity, which is the degree to which a system’s components may be separated and recombined for flexibility and variety in use.
It works at all levels, from small devices such as solar phone chargers, all the way up to a system that can power a factory.
Here are some of the most common applications of off-grid solar:
· Providing a charge to a portable phone or tablet charger
· Powering the appliances in an RV
· Generating electricity for small cabins
· Powering small energy-efficient homes
It’s worth noting where off-grid solar systems do NOT make sense: where there is easy access to the utility power. This covers situations where one is looking to power a home in a home in a city, suburb or town.
If that’s you, you can save much more by opting for a grid-tied or hybrid solar panel system — or even just sticking solely to grid power — depending on the economics of solar in your area.