OFF-GRID INSTALLATION! [so far!]

I saw an advert on Facebook for Off-Grid Installer and got in touch with Leigh who was actually in Corfu at the time and he came and had a chat about what we needed for what we wanted to have power for. We then kept in touch and when we were ready Leigh also helped us organise not just the installation, but the actual container and shipping to Greece as well!

The container he purchased from the UK company Cleveland containers and this particular one had the new “easy open” system …. and the shipping was done and organised by Kuehne and Nagel.…. I can happily recommend all of the above as not just a good price but for me, there was always someone on hand to answer queries etc, and believe me when you are trying to do something like this remotely this is very important for your stress levels!!!!

So far this is a  unique product where the off-grid equipment (batteries and power electronics) are pre-fitted into a shipping container. This has many advantages and results in minimal work on-site when the container arrives at the final destination.  The system was fitted into a 20-foot high-cube shipping container, as the system is to power all of the shipping container home, and all of the other containers for the design are High cube 20fts. So it needed to fit into the design and as mentioned in a previous post we decided against the standard high containers. The rest of this particular container will be used for storage, a washing room, and a gymnasium.

We chose to go off-grid as the remote location of where the property is being built would mean an expensive grid connection bill. And here if you need poles you have to pay for them! Not cheap! Not only this but going green meant an easier ride through the planning process and free electricity for the next 30-40 years and to be as ecofriendly as we can!

The boring stuff [For me anyway LOL] The system comprises of: 

1 x 20ft High cube container fitted out with the below –

10kw inverter from Victron, which will power multiple electronic devices including, air-conditioners, lights, TV, computers, kitchen appliances, and outside gardening equipment like lawnmowers and strimmers.

There are 2 x 100amp solar charge regulators (MPPT) which take the power from the solar panels and regulate the power into the batteries.

8 x 2.44 kWh (total storage of 19.52kWh) of Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries (LiFePO4), these batteries have a life of 15-18 years and have a built-in battery management system which means lots of safety features built-in like over-heating, etc.

30 x 370-watt mono-crystalline of solar panels will be installed once the container is sited and the roof is built. This means a total array size of 11,100 watts of solar. In Corfu, this array will generate 1000-2000 watts even when it is cloudy and raining.

A mains distribution board and AC isolator were fitted in also, this means the electricians who are wiring up the property can wire directly into this. It was a 16 way split RCD board.

We look forward to completing this part of the project and having power generated without being connected to the mains supply and will take more photos and videos once it has all been installed!! 😉

Here is the container finally arriving on site after its journey from the UK!