Sizing And Use Of Generators Off The Grid

Off Grid, And Back Up Generators

Most anyone who lives off the grid or has a remote cabin with an off grid power system will need a back-up generator sooner or later. There are good reasons why you should have a generator.

• When we encounter a cloudy stretch your PV (Solar) panels likely will not harvest enough energy to keep your batteries replenished.
• To maximise the life of your battery bank you should not discharge your batteries by more than 50%. You will greatly increase the life of your batteries if you keep your depth of discharge (DOD) to 25%. Ergo, keep the batteries between 75%  and 100% of charge at all times.
• Depending on the capabilities of you inverter, you may want the generator do the heavy lifting.
• Also, before you leave your camp for the winter, you must fully charge your batteries to prevent them from freezing.

Sizing Your Generator.

• If you want to size your generator you need to investigate the AC input voltage your inverter-charger requires. Some inverter-chargers can accept 240V only, some only 120 V and some can do either.
• The general idea is, to have a generator that can deliver twice the Watts then your inverter can. The reason behind this thought is. When you are running your generator to charge your batteries, any AC load in your system will be added to the generator, not drawing from the batteries. More sophisticated systems can be programmed for generator support should you generator not be large enough to carry the entire load.
• Do not think about buying a standby generator that is designed to run a couple of times a year to bridge a temporary power outage for an on-grid home. They are not built for that purpose and you also will void your warranty immediately if you use such in an off-grid application.

As usual

Have a sunny day,
Helmut Boettcher
Renewable Energy Solutions
48 Feltham Rd.
Thessalon On.
P0R 1L0
H 705-842-6911
C 519-323-0949
https://offgridisbetter.com/