Autonomous photovoltaic (pv) system with batteries (standalone/off grid pv system) for a villa at Makrys Gialos, Sitia, Crete near Ierapetra

This off grid pv system was designed to cover all of the energy needs and all the electrical appliances of a three floor house, occupied for 365 days a year. This is achieved using photovoltaic panels and a special battery pack for storing excess energy produced. The owner is now independent of the public electricity network and  covers all electricity needs from off grid solar energy using photovoltaic panels, batteries as well as special electronic equipment such as the inverter, the photovoltaic charger, etc. During the winter season when daily solar pv energy is decreased, the off grid system can use the energy stored in the batteries even after repeated cloudy days, thus minimizing the use of an automatic generator which is going to operate only in case of emergency. The standalone/off grid photovoltaic (pv) system can be supervised from computer and smartphone to inform the user about all the important parameters. These parameters are the remaining capacity (kWh or %) of the battery pack, the available power (kW) from the off grid photovoltaic array at any time during the day, the charge-discharge status of the batteries and many other to help the user organize and schedule the operation of devices according to the prevailing conditions. This autonomous house can cover all needs for cooking, lighting, air conditioning, hot water, and many other with the aid of sun and without needing the public electricity network (standalone/off grid system operation).

Project location: Makrys Gialos, Sitia Lasithi, Crete, Greece (close to Ierapetra)