Luxury Off-Grid Living Powered by SKYLIT and LG
May 4, 2021
Generally, living “off the grid” requires compromise. It is difficult with standard off-grid solar technology to achieve the same kinds of creature comforts you can expect at a home connected to the power grid – at least, from an electrical standpoint. The goal is usually to do everything you can to design the home to use as little power as possible, so that the loads you do need don’t drain your battery system too quickly.
But, compromise isn’t always necessary.
We have recently completed a system on an island off the south shore, where connecting to the power grid isn’t an option. The homeowner was directed to us as the company to do what generally isn’t done – to provide a system that would allow for island living in luxury rather than what can typically be accomplished with an off-grid system.
LG: The right products for the job
Based on what the homeowner wanted to achieve – including using heat pumps for heating and cooling, and even running an ice machine for example – we realized that standard off-grid technology wasn’t going to cut it. We had been researching LG’s Energy Storage Systems (ESS) and its RESU10 lithium-ion battery for a few months, and quickly saw that the ability of the system’s Power Converter System (PCS) to prioritize solar to feed loads directly would provide a possible solution to the homeowner’s need to feed heavy loads – with only excess generation stored in the battery.
On top of this, the system’s ability to have two RESU10 batteries on one PCS provided enhanced storage capacity for such a demanding application. We installed three separate solar arrays on the home, each with different orientations, and one was configured to each of the PCS’s three MPPT controllers. To maximize output, PV optimizers were installed on each of the 24 340 Watt LG 60-cell solar modules.
Our installation also includes ingenious features to eliminate any power-out situations. If the battery reaches a minimum state of charge, the propane generator auto-starts to recharge the batteries and the solar arrays are automatically isolated from the PCS to prevent power overload. The PCS then continues to deliver power from the generator to domestic loads and recharges the batteries until they are full. When the generator switches off, the solar is automatically reconnected to the PCS to smoothly provide renewable power to the home.
Our configuration of the RESU10 battery system gives this homeowner luxury living on an island retreat – no compromise necessary!