New Build Off Grid Passive House
Our client contacted us early on at the planning stage for this unique self build off grid barn conversion in Norwich.
An Off Grid Cottage renovation
An Off Grid Cottage Renovation A little history: This original cottage began life entirely built of stone with two ground floor rooms (one with a hearth and chimney) and two small upstairs rooms with sloping ceilings. At some point in the mid 19th century, possibly in the 1860s, the cottage was enlarged in brick with an extension to the south to give an additional ground floor room and extra bedroom. In the first half of the 19th century, the cottage was thatched, with payments in 1812 and 1815 for “5 1/2 thrave of boltings” – the traditional units of thatching material – being recorded in the estate records. Today, the off-grid cottage is still remote, lacking any services, and standing within a 350 acre mixed woodland in Hereford. The remit from the client was to install a pure off-grid electrical system to support lighting, sockets, white goods and high-speed internet for a uniquely solar- and wood-powered eco-friendly holiday retreat that could offer the client a continuous holiday rental income… with one caveat, it required virtually invisible solar panels due to strict local planning requirements! From the initial consultation with Ian from Off Grid Engineering, a suitable off-grid electrical system was designed utilising premium Victron Energy products for power conversion, the latest battery technology for power storage, with an unique innovative solar slate product to be incorporated seamlessly within the new traditional slate roof to harness the required power from the sun. Within months of the initial consultation, followed by a site visit from our specialist off-grid team, the system was up and running. The completed renovation is now one of the most sought-after off-grid eco-retreats in the UK producing a significant income year after year for the client. If you would like to discuss your own Off Grid Solar PV project, please get in touch here.
Off-Grid Solar System Commercial Case Study
Off-Grid Solar System Commercial Case Study Jackson Civil Engineering, South East England Jackson Civil Engineering is an established nationwide company that specialises in large-scale infrastructure projects such as highways, bridges, and ports. One of the projects the firm is currently working on is the continuous maintenance of the M11 Motorway. The M11 connects the East Midlands with London. This project is a contract for a 10 year period, which requires a team of up to 20 staff working around the clock. Jackson has created a site to act as a base near the M11 that consists of offices, workshops, bedrooms, showers and a canteen. Due to the location of the site, it was impractical to get a connection to the National Grid. In fact, in order to do so, it would involve running a connection either over or under a six-lane motorway. This would be extremely expensive! Jacksons opted to rent a diesel generator to provide power. Due to the nature of the site, there was a huge variance in the amount of power required at any point. It could be just a few laptops plugged into the sockets in the office at one moment, followed by four showers running along with a kettle and a microwave at the end of a busy night shift. This meant that the site required a large 70kva generator. They were spending just over £30k per year on rental and fuel, annually to provide power to the site. One of the major issues that Jacksons faced while relying on a generator as the only power source was that there were many times where the generator failed and they were left without any power – especially during the colder months. A generator has a lot of moving parts and, as a result, it is inevitable that downtime will occur. With up to 20 people on-site at any given time it was a huge expense to have staff who were unable to work and it also placed their project behind schedule. In 2018, Adam Knibb joined Jacksons on an internship whilst studying for his Ph.D. Adam was investigating possible savings and efficiencies that could be achieved within the M11 maintenance project. Adam spotted that Jacksons had the opportunity to save thousands of pounds a year by installing an off-grid solar PV system at the site. Adam investigated companies online and found Ian Hewson from Off Grid Engineering. Ian got to work designing the perfect off-grid solar PV system, which was capable of meeting the energy demand. Due to the unique nature of the site, there were a few challenges that needed to be overcome in order to ensure the project was a success. The first challenge was finding a suitable place to mount the solar PV panels. The only suitable space on-site was the roof of the containers that were acting as offices. We were unable to penetrate the roof due to plasterboard being fitted directly onto the ceiling, and with only 0.6mm of steel in the centre of the roof, the containers were not strong enough to hold the weight of the panels if they were installed in the traditional flat roof mounting method, which involves placing them on trays filled with ballast. Therefore, Ian designed and developed a bespoke rail system for Jacksons, which diverted the weight of the panels from the centre, to the edges of the containers which were much stronger. The other challenge was keeping the three separate phases balanced, while having the ability to boost the power supply if there was a short-term need for more energy. Ian resolved this by using Victron 8kva Inverter Chargers. They have the ability to provide a boost of power if required, taking their power from 8kva right up to 15kva for short bursts of time. Below is the system that Ian designed: ● 30 x 325 watt Q-Cell solar PV modules (9.75 kWp)● 3 x 8 kVA Victron inverter chargers (three-phase supply)● 2 x 100 amp DC-coupled charge controllers● 3 x BYD B-Box Pro 13.8 kWh batteries● 40 kVA diesel generator● 200 amp changeover switch● Victron virtual display The installation took less than two weeks to complete and went live on the 10th of April 2019. With almost a year since the system was installed, Jacksons have found they have benefitted greatly from investing in off-grid solar PV. Notably, they have saved a significant amount of money by not keeping a large generator running 24/7. They estimate they have saved approximately £25k during the last 11 months when combining both fuel and generator rental costs. Ian was able to complete extensive ROI reporting prior to starting the project, which included a break-even point. Ian predicted that the project costs would break even after 2.5 years meaning that there would be a saving of over £130k over a period of 7 years, taking into account the amount spent on the off-grid system with a smaller backup generator. We are pleased to report that over the last 11 months the now significantly smaller generator has only been turned on for an average of 3.5 hours per day instead of 24 hours per day and the project is on track to outperform the predicted ROI. It is important to bear in mind that Jacksons were restricted with regards to the number of solar PV panels they could install as they had limited space on site. If there was more space, Ian would have recommended installing twice the amount of PV taking the total solar generation capability to 20kW instead of just under 10kW. Another huge benefit is providing visibility on what energy is required and when. Prior to having their system installed, Jacksons were stuck in the cycle of blindly filling up their diesel tank every week without being able to monitor the level of energy required by individual sections of the site. Due to having access to the Victron Remote Management Platform, they now have a comprehensive energy use profile. This has been extremely
Off-Grid Solar PV Case Study For a Large Self-Build Project
Off-Grid Solar PV Case Study For a Large Self-Build Project No grid, no problem! Self-build project, Shaftesbury Vanessa and Bruce Jannion along with their two children, Rory and Freya, have always dreamed of building their own home in the country. After living in London for a few years with a holiday home in the Shaftesbury area, they decided to make a permanent move in 2006. After being inspired by watching programs such as Grand Designs and loving the idea of a modern house with the advantages of open-plan living, great insulation and being able to incorporate green energy into their home, the family embarked on their self-build project. The first challenge was to find a plot of land to build on as there was a huge scarcity of plots in their area. After searching for a long time, their perseverance paid off and they found a steel-framed barn which was only three miles away from where they lived, in December 2016. They fell in love with the beautiful views and loved the shape of the barn which offered great potential to convert a building that previously housed cattle into their 400sqm five-bedroom forever home. As the barn had never previously been occupied as a home, Vanessa and Bruce always knew they would need to bring utilities in as part of the build. They did not, however, envisage that this would end up being far and away the biggest challenge of the entire project. The nearest electricity connection was 500m away from the property, and the cable would need to run across neighbouring land. Vanessa and Bruce tried very hard to negotiate wayleave agreements with the landowner but they would not agree. This meant the only option was a very expensive in-road dig which would cost well in excess of £100k! Even if their neighbour had been willing to negotiate a wayleave agreement when you add together the charges from SSE (the local district network provider), the compensation to the landowner, trenching works and legal costs the connection costs would have been over £50k! During the two-year struggle to obtain a grid connection, Vanessa and Bruce considered the option of an off-grid solar PV system but were always told their project was too big and their electricity demand was too high for this to be a viable option. Then in April 2019 Vanessa spoke to Ian Hewson from Off Grid Engineering. Ian was able assure Vanessa and her building team that an off-grid solar PV set up was an option and went about designing the perfect system for the project. Firstly, Ian assessed the electricity demand for Field View Barn. Ian worked very closely with the heating engineer who was providing an air-source heat pump as the main source of heating. Ian needed to ensure the system had the capacity to run the heat pump in winter whilst there were shorter days and less energy generated from the solar panels. Here is the system that Ian designed: 80 x 335W JA Mono-Crystalline Solar Panels 80 x Renesol Console+ Victron 15 kva Quattro 3 x 13.8 Kwh BYD Li Fe PO4 battery bank 4 x 250V/100A Victron Smart charge controllers Octa GX / 4G off-grid WiFI internet hub 20 Kva LPG generator Once Ian had established what size system Field View Barn required, he then assessed the site to find the best location to place the equipment. Vanessa and Bruce have a beautiful metal clad roof with a lot of glass incorporated into it. As the roof was already complete, Ian found a great spot on the land in front of the house to site the 80 solar panels. As this section of land was visible from the road, Ian assisted in obtaining planning permission by liaising with the planning authority on Vanessa’s behalf. Ian then worked with the project’s build team to specify the trench and work on the area where the panels will be placed. Ian also helped design Field View Barn’s plant room to house all of the equipment needed for the heat pump and the off-grid solar PV equipment such as the batteries, inverters and charge controllers. As Vanessa and Bruce’s system was being monitored remotely by Off Grid Engineering using the Victron web-based portal, Ian installed a Twoot 4G internet hub to provide a consistent internet connection. Ian was able to utilise the Twoot device to provide an outlet for the heat pump technology also. This meant that Vanessa and Bruce could relax in the knowledge that all of the vital equipment that provides heat and electricity to their home was being regularly monitored to prevent any downtime and ensure the systems are working to the maximum efficiency. Field View barn is complete, with Vanessa and Bruce now focusing their attention on landscaping the area around the barn. Vanessa was really pleased with their decision to complete a self-build project. We asked Vanessa if she has any advice for any potential self-builders who are thinking of carrying out their own projects. Vanessa : “Don’t give up on the search for a plot, ensure you have the best team you can, from architect to engineer to main contractor. Engage the services of a quantity surveyor at the outset to give you a realistic costing and if converting a building that has never been a house to carefully check costs for bringing in utilities.” Both Scott and Ian really enjoyed working with Vanessa and Bruce to provide an off-grid solar PV solution to their grid connection issues. I think everyone will agree that Field View barn is a beautiful home that the family will enjoy for many years to come. If you would like to discuss your own Off Grid Solar PV project, please get in touch here. Off grid solar experts. Home Business Marine Inland Waterway Upgrades Automotive
Viridian solar glass roof, BYD Battery storage, and Victron Energy complete off-grid solution
Viridian solar glass roof, BYD Battery storage, and Victron Energy complete off-grid solution Self-build project, Shropshire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VC0NfHvEy50 Jim Watt from Shropshire contacted the Off Grid Engineering team when he realised it was going to cost him a lot of money to get his self-build home connected to the National Grid. Jim has a great interest in renewable energy and is pleased to be generating electricity and heat for his home using Solar PV. As you can see from the video, we installed the Viridian Clearline Fusion integrated system to cover his south-facing roof. He has combined that with a 15.4kW BYD LVL battery storage system and Victron Energy management and monitoring system. The video diary above documents the complete installation from start to finish. Including the installation of the solar roof, the integration of a backup generator, installation of the battery storage system, and programming of all of the equipment. Here at Off Grid Engineering, we specialise in installing power solutions or homes and businesses without a connection to the National Grid along with complete power solutions for the marine and inland waterway industry and the camper van and RV sectors. If you would like to discuss your own Off Grid Solar PV project, please get in touch here. Off grid solar experts. Home Business Upgrades
Check out this video as we revisit an existing customer 16 months later and evaluate the system performance.
Check out this video as we revisit an existing customer 16 months later and evaluate the system performance. Self-build project, Shaftesbury https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yypaCXunhVM Vanessa and Bruce Janion started their self-build project back in 2018. They have converted a large agricultural building into their five-bedroom family home just outside of Shaftesbury. After being surprised by a huge quote of between £60k-£160k to connect to the National Grid, Vanessa and Bruce were thoroughly relieved to learn that an off-grid solar system would be able to power their home. In this video we look at how the 80 panel system with over 40kWh of battery storage has performed. Using the Victron VRM Monitoring Portal, we are able to review how much energy the system has produced along with how often the LPG backup generator has been required. We also go into detail on how the system has been designed, along with how Bruce and Vanessa have found living off-grid. Here at Off Grid Engineering, we specialise in installing power solutions or homes and businesses without a connection to the National Grid along with complete power solutions for the marine and inland waterway industry and the camper van and RV sectors. If you would like to discuss your own Off Grid Solar PV project, please get in touch here. Off grid solar experts. Home Business Marine Inland Waterway Upgrades Automotive