Do you dream of being energy-independent? Then living “off-grid” might be ideal for you. Most of those who live off grid are in remote areas where electric utility service is either not available or very expensive to connect. But a growing number of people are considering it as a personal lifestyle choice.

See How To Gain From Off-Grid Solar Systems

There are a couple of important considerations involved in living off-grid. First, you’ll need to learn how to use your electricity judiciously.  You want to be careful not to waste it.

Second, you’ll want to become familiar with how your solar energy system works, and what kind of maintenance is required. It’s a good idea to become somewhat of an expert on your particular system so you could troubeshoot any problem that arises. Becoming an “pro” is not too difficult to do since there is so much information on solar power available now. However, it does require time and commitment on your part.

An off-grid system typically consists of nine components.

First, the photovoltaic array and mounting rack. Wikipedia describes the array as “a linked collection of photovoltaic modules, which are in turn made of multiple interconnected solar cells”. The mounting rack is what attaches the array to the roof.

Second, the array DC disconnect. This is basically a breaker between the array and the rest of the system.  It allows you to disconnect from the system so you can troubleshoot problems with the array.

Third, the charge controller prevents the batteries from overcharging.

Fourth, the battery bank stores excess electricity. You will usually need sufficient batteries for 2-3 days worth of stored electricity in case of a cloudy period.

5. The system meter. The system meter is like the dashboard of your car. It shows what’s going on with the various components of the system.

A Guide to Off-Grid Solar Electricity

6. The main DC disconnect. It’s better known as a circuit breaker which is connected between the batteries and the inverter.

Seventh, is the inverter. This is the component that converts the DC (direct current) electricity, which is generated by the array and stored in the batteries, into the AC (alternating current) electricity that can be used by your household appliances.

Eighth, the AC breaker panel. This is the same kind of breaker panel that the utility company uses to connect your house wiring to its electrical source.

9. The backup generator. A backup generator may become necessary if there is a period of cloudy days and you have depleted the power that was stored in the batteries. Traditional fossil fuels can be used for your generator; however, if you’re maintaining a green lifestyle, you will want to use biodiesel.

As you can see, each component is relatively simple in and of itself. The only motorized parts are in the backup generator (which you hopefully won’t have to use much). Now that you’ve examined the components of the photovoltaic system, you can see why it’s not too complicated to become your own expert.

Read The Domestic Off-Grid Power Report Here

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 16th, 2009 at 1:11 pm and is filed under Alternative Energy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.