Off-Grid Hybrid System
Off-Grid Hybrid System
A good definition of an Off-Grid home is one that is independent of municipal and electrical services. It refers to a home that is producing its own electricity, has its own water supply and that has provisions for sewer and garbage processing or removal. The leading technologies for powering off-grid homes are solar (thermal and photovoltaic), small wind turbine and off-grid hydro (water stream) turbines.
It is important to take many factors into consideration when deciding how to power your off-grid home, including what type of appliances go in the home. Each Off-Grid system we install is customized to the specific needs of the customers lifestyle, location, climate, energy source and amount of energy needed. Each system also utilizes a back-up generator to provide supplemental power in case of bad weather or instances of high demand.
Hybrid wind energy systems can provide reliable off-grid power for homes, farms, or even entire communities (a co-housing project, for example) that are far from the nearest utility lines. According to many renewable energy experts, a "hybrid" system that combines wind and photovoltaic (PV) technologies offers several advantages over either single system.
In much of the United States, wind speeds are low in the summer when the sun shines brightest and longest. The wind is strong in the winter when less sunlight is available. Because the peak operating times for wind and PV occur at different times of the day and year, hybrid systems are more likely to produce power when you need it. For the times when neither the wind turbine nor the PV modules are producing, most hybrid systems provide power through batteries and/or an engine-generator powered by conventional fuels such as natural gas, propane or diesel. If the batteries run low, the engine-generator can provide power and recharge the batteries. Adding an engine generator makes the system more complex, but modern electronic controllers can operate these systems automatically. An engine-generator can also reduce the size of the other components needed for the system.
Keep in mind that the storage capacity must be large enough to supply electrical needs during non-charging periods. Battery banks are typically sized to supply the electric load for one to three days.