If the electricity grid does not reach where we have our consumption, or if we do not want to or cannot take it there, the solution is what is known as an stand-alone electrical installation. To cover consumption, we will need electricity generation systems, systems for accumulating the energy that we cannot consume at the moment, and all the other elements that control both systems and protect them. In addition, we will need a management system that efficiently manages all energy flows to ensure that we do not run out of energy.

When to choose an off-grid installation?

When we do not have an electricity grid nearby to connect to, the costs of bringing it to our consumption can be very high, and the quality of service limited. Moreover, in some cases, it is not even feasible to bring the grid to remote or geographically inaccessible locations. This is especially true in rural areas.

Nor should we forget the landscape impact of the grid: what is better, a landscape with or without electricity pylons and cables?

Therefore, for remote locations or sporadic supplies, it is advisable to obtain power by means other than the conventional electricity grid.

How it is done

In the past, fossil fuels were relied upon to provide the electricity needed: diesel generator sets were dirty, noisy and costly to operate and maintain. Now we know that renewable energies are cleaner and equally or better at meeting demand needs, as long as the design of the installation is right.

Thus, in an stand-alone system we can count on the following elements:

• 100% renewable generation: all the energy produced comes from clean sources.

• Hybrid generation: if you already have a generator set and do not want to remove it, you can reduce its use by installing renewable generation. In this way, the use of the generating set will be minimised, thus achieving significant savings in fuel and also reducing atmospheric pollution.

• Storage: sometimes it is not possible to consume all the energy that is being produced (for example, when a lot of electricity is generated in the middle of the day with PV but we do not have that much consumption). On other occasions, we will need energy when we are not generating it (as happens with photovoltaic at night). For these cases it will be necessary to have electricity storage. In this way, the excess energy we produce will be stored for use when it is needed. In most cases, battery storage is used. The most widespread technology at present is lithium batteries, due to their price-quality ratio.

• Energy management system: all these elements need to be governed by a “brain”. Control systems manage energy flows (production-demand) to ensure security of supply and maximum efficiency. There are more and less refined energy management systems. Some even include weather forecasting, predictive demand control and other functionalities.

On the other hand, stand-alone systems can be more or less complex, depending on their configuration: from enough to cover energy demand, to advanced microgrids capable of anticipating future demand and circumstances.

In any case, the particular characteristics of each case and each client must always be taken into account to ensure the most economical option that meets the client’s needs.

How we can help you

The first step is to understand and study the customer’s needs in order to design the optimum solution. In stand-alone systems, the difficulty lies in guaranteeing the security of supply and its quality, i.e. ensuring that there will be no problems, failures, system crashes; in short, that the electricity supply will not be interrupted at any time. This requires the highest qualification for the design of the system and the use of the best technology.

Here are the steps to follow:

We also offer maintenance services, to ensure that the installation fulfils its useful lifetime to the maximum and in the best operating conditions.

Examples of completed projects