Off-Grid System
An off-grid system is not connected to the electricity grid and therefore requires battery storage. Off-grid solar systems must be designed appropriately so that they will generate enough power throughout the year and have enough battery capacity to meet the home’s requirements, even in the depths of winter when there is generally much less sunlight.
The high cost of batteries and off-grid inverters means off-grid systems are much more expensive than on-grid systems and so are usually only needed in more remote areas that are far from the electricity grid. However battery costs are reducing rapidly, so there is now a growing market for off-grid solar battery systems even in cities and towns.
Read more about choosing the best off-grid solar system here
AC-coupled off-grid solar systems use a solar inverter together with a multi-mode battery inverter.
There are different types of off-grid systems which we will go into more detail later, but for now I will keep it simple. The above diagram is for a larger AC coupled system. In smaller scale DC coupled systems, a solar charge controller is used to manage the battery charging, then the DC power is converted to AC using an off-grid inverter and sent to your home appliances.
Simple, affordable, small scale DC-coupled off-grid solar power system use solar charge controllers to manage the battery charging, plus an a simple inverter to supply AC power.