The First Day on Off-grid!
The experimental phase has begun in full swing. Let me share my first impressions of using my installation and some thoughts, along with conclusions and plans for the future.
Yesterday around noon, we have turned on the heating pump in order to test the whole system and to drain the batteries. Yes you read right.
5th March test conditions:
- Day temperature +17/-3,
- Sunny,
- Battery status: fully charged.
As you can see sunny weather in plus temperatures allowed the photovoltaic production to fully fill consumption needs. Around 5 o'clock the sun set and the system started to use energy only stored in batteries. The day ended with 50% batteries charge.
The temperature fell to - 3 C which led to heating element to start in heart's pump exterior unit. For those who don't know, heat pumps are equipped with heating elements that they only use for defrosting - a necessary function to remove frost buildup on the outdoor coil, which occurs in cold and humid conditions. This frost formation can reduce efficiency and hinder heat exchange. The heat pump periodically switches to defrost mode to maintain performance. While it helps it uses a lot of energy. A LOT. If defrost occur too frequently it can turn around consumption costs, thus people invest in devices that calculate the fragile equation with weather forecasts to balance the system and use heating elements in optimal way.
As you cam in the graph the energy consumption skyrocketed from 1 KWh to over 4 KWh at 5 am draining batteries to 0%. Which led to system shutdown and going offline.
Before this test I thought the system would start up after the sunrise. However since the batteries were totally drained the inverter did not had the chance to notice the sun is up. It's an issue that needs to be considered later to get it soved.
It didn't mean the were over, in the introduction of this posts I emphasised that drainage of batteries was one of tests goals. Today at 3 pm, I got the system restarted to run on power generator.
As you can see on the chart, there are some spikes. This is also an issue that will need to be addressed in the future or its causes determined. I’m afraid the generator itself might be to blame, but that's for the installer to worry about, since they recommended this particular device.
As you can see on the chart, there are some voltage spikes. This is also an issue that will need to be addressed in the future or its causes determined. I’m afraid the generator itself might be to blame, but that's for the installer to worry about, since they recommended this particular device. Another conclusion is that as of current energy demand the power generator can freely meet the needs and charge the batteries at the same time. It's 15% after 4 hours after the restart. I don't know, however, to what extent the generator is loaded. You would need to be there in person because it has no internet connection.
Next steps
First of all, I'm very happy this test has showed an issue of system being unable to restart after dusk when totally drained. The installer suggested me to connect one coil before the fire fuse or switch the fuse completely off. Since I'm investing my whole wealth into the project and it would mean risking the lifes of my family I discarded that option immediately. I asked the installers if we could install few PV panels on garage roof facing eastward to connected directly to the batteries to provide enough voltage for inverter to be able to detect sun on the main sun-power-plant. So in case of running out of the fuel at night, I might be able to get electricity production up back on after sunrise. It won't solve the problem if there's no sun, but you can't solve everything.
The gathering of results continues on.
This first off-grid test has been a revealing experience, highlighting both strengths and critical weaknesses of the system. While solar production met expectations during the day, the inability to restart after full battery depletion is a major challenge that needs addressing, without spending substantial amounts of money.
Future adjustments, like additional east-facing PV panels, could provide a safeguard against overnight shutdowns. However, this is just the beginning—fine-tuning the system to balance efficiency, reliability, and cost-effectiveness will be an ongoing process. The insights gained from this test are invaluable, and each obstacle overcome brings the project one step closer to true energy independence.
@tipu curate 8
Dzięki, jak tak dalej pójdzie to będę kupować ropę do agregatu za Hive 😁
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That’s an intense first test! Definitely a learning experience, but it’s great that you caught these issues early.
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