CELESTIAN
SOLAR
Off-grid home solar systems
Whether it be a rural house with an existing grid feed or any variety of weird and wonderful off-grid houses out in the woods, meadows or mountains - I can design and install a solar system to power the energy needs of your home year round and without the need to continue to feed the profits of energy corporations for electricity from the grid.
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Initially a project starts with siting down with the household family to go through the home appliances to power and the daily usage time in each season, which gives a clear idea of the energy requirements. In homes that have an existing grid connection, we decide if and how this will be utilised to possibly take the burden off the solar system and batteries during the darker winter months (and thereby cutting the overall cost of the installation).
In the second phase of the project we evaluate the area available for locating the PV array and its possible size. I use software modelling to make detailed calculations on the amount of energy that could be produced over each month of the year based on the location, direction, elevation and shading of the solar array for various sizes options of solar systems and present several variants: each having a clear budget of the costs involved vs the expected gains and the number of years required for the system to fully pay back its investment.
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The third phase involves working closely with the client and his/her family to ensure they're happy with where the panels will be placed, where all of the additional equipment and batteries will be located and finding a happy medium between aesthetics and practicality. I'll draw up detailed property designs for the physical layout and locations of cable runs etc.
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In the fourth phase I work in tandem with the client and/or colleagues in other trades (roofers / electricians / carpenters) as necessary to build the infrastructure such as panel frames etc, lay the electrical cables and connect into existing mains fuse boxes as required. This also involves installing and wiring up the inverters, solar chargers and GX system monitors and configuring each precisely to work at optimum efficiency with the battery array.
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The fifth phase is ongoing and means that I am there to support the client and their household in getting accustomed to an off-grid system and the greater awareness of energy usage and power ratings that comes with it. Off-grid systems work to exact power levels and limitations, it's important to maintain an awareness of how many powerful devices are running in parallel in the home. Any issues or problems that occur, I'm at the end of the phone to help. Also, being local, I'm able to come out and give technical assistance at very short notice over the following years to come.
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Fortunately the off grid systems I install are almost entirely Victron brand, whose equipment consistently comes out top of the pack - it can be relied on to work to a high standard, and work reliably in tough conditions for 10+ years without fail. I do not use any budget or substandard equipment or parts in any of my solar installations. Period.
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All kinds of configurations, all kinds of dwellings
There is no standard off-the-shelf little kit that I put into every household in the way that mainstream solar installation companies do it. The great advantage of an off-grid system from a specialist who carries out the custom project from the starting design to the finish of the installation is that one gains a more perfect (and highly efficient) system that is tailored to your family, your home and your energy needs. There is no one-size-fits-all in the solar system world, and planning off grid systems needs to be done accurately and done well - right from the start of the planning phase.
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With as many choices and designs as there are dwellings, you really can choose how the frames will look, where everything is located and how it is integrated into your property to be as aesthetically pleasing as possible. I generally recommend ground based PV arrays or mounted on or against low outbuildings for several reasons, including ease of installation, easy of maintenance, cleaning, adjustment and the flexibility of being able to adjust the angle / elevation of the panels in different seasons if required.
