The challenge of off-grid solar installations
When most people think of solar energy, there are actually two main markets. First, there’s the residential roof market, with local sellers who often don’t know what they’re doing, banks that require you to both own the property and have good credit, and installers hopefully installing the system you need. . On the other hand, there’s the low-voltage DIY market where people buy a few solar panels, a small charge controller, and charge something like a deep-cycle RV battery.
This started to change when solar “generators” came on the market. We have reviewed a number of different systems on this CleanTechnica, but what they usually have in common is that they accept a small amount of solar energy and store it in a portable power plant with battery storage, inverters, and everything else in it. These kits range from small stations with a maximum output of 100-300 watts, to huge kits with more than a kilowatt of portable solar energy and stations with several kilowatt hours of storage.
For emergencies, camping, picnics, and outdoor trade shows/crafts, these stations have been great for many buyers, but they often fail to meet the needs of people trying to do something more powerful, like an entire RV or an off-grid powered cabin. Such things are possible, but they are expensive and require a lot of skill to set up. Worse, getting funding for a more traditional solar system is either too small or beyond what installers want to tackle.
In many places, a professional installation of a solar power system with government regulations is not so easy. This leads many installers to refuse to work entirely on off-grid systems (or at least use it as an excuse).
EcoFlow’s solution: growth in this gray area
This is where EcoFlow’s new Power Kits come in handy. Rather than being small and portable or requiring a large professional installation, EcoFlow offers modular systems that do not require an electrician.
The modular system allows you to place a pretty hefty off-grid system or build one up over time. Maximum battery storage in a stack of LiFePo battery packs can be up to 15 kWh. Solar panels, a small backup generator, a power hub to tie everything together and other system components are all designed to be easily connected together without any power tools or specialist knowledge. So anyone can get started installing an extended solar system on a RV or off-grid cabin, or wherever.
Even people who rent a house or apartment can probably get good benefits from this system, even if they can’t wire it into their home’s wiring.
The whole system is designed for maximum safety (LiFePo batteries are much, much less prone to fire), the easiest to install, and to grow from a basic system to something more robust over time. Permanently mounted smart controls are possible, but you can also just use your smartphone to see what the system is doing and manage it.
The sale of these systems will start on 5 July, more information about this can be found here.
Featured image by EcoFlow.
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