BSLBATT Spotlight: From Off-Grid To Grid-Tied Solar Systems

Over the years BSLBATT Company designed and installed thousands of stand-alone power systems using quality components. Each solar system is unique and should be tailored to your needs and geographic location.

However, some solar systems are considered off-grid solar systems that you may be curious about. Today, let’s explore both of these solar power methods and help you decide which method is suitable for your home.

What Are Grid-Tied Solar Systems?

As the name suggests, grid-tied solar systems are installations where your home remains connected to your local grid. These solar systems still rely on electricity to operate. Only after they are powered up can they begin converting solar rays into electricity for your home. Then, you can use the electricity generated from your solar panels to power your home, relying less upon grid-based energy sources.

Advantages of grid-tied solar systems include:

● Typically less expensive and easier to install than off-grid systems.

● Grid-tied systems can take advantage of local net metering policies.

● Solar battery storage is an option, rather than a necessity.

● Great options for those that don’t have the space or budget for the number of panels to power their entire home.

However, it’s worth noting that, without solar battery storage, your solar panels cannot produce energy for your home without the grid. So, without battery storage, when the power goes out, so do your solar panels. Those seeking complete energy independence will have to look toward off-grid systems.

What Are Off-Grid Solar Systems?

Off-grid solar systems are completely cut off from the local grid. This can be an appealing method for those that wish to gain complete energy independence. These systems can also be utilized in remote locations or as a solution in underdeveloped areas that may not have a reliable central source of electricity.

However, while this method does achieve complete energy independence, there can also be heavy drawbacks if the homeowner isn’t properly prepared for full grid separation. Off-grid systems rely on the use of very specific, and often expensive, additional equipment to ensure functionality. And, without solar battery storage, there’s no way of powering your home after the sun sets, regardless of the local grid’s status.

Grid-tied vs. off-grid: what do these terms really mean?

What is the biggest question people have when going solar?

“People must have a good idea of how much power they need. Often, customers will come to us with the size and shape of their home, but the square footage matters less for solar than how much power is being used. If you don’t have enough energy with utility systems, you can always purchase more. With off-grid solar planning, sizing is critical because you need a more precise sense of how much power is being used. Additionally, customers need to know how many panels can fit on their roof to get an accurate picture of how much power they’ll ultimately be able to produce. All of these analyses are done by experts at GET OFF GRID to make sure that customers will have power when they need it.”

Can you walk us through how you go about installing a solar-plus-storage system?

“The first thing we do with customers is the calculations. There are two numbers people need to know – they need to know how much energy they need to produce and how much energy they want to be available from the storage system. Most customers are interested in being connected to the grid, and for those customers, their solar size is based on their annual power consumption and the amount they want to offset. For energy storage, the battery system size is based on how much energy is required for essential items to run. What’s important for people to realize is that if you don’t have a backup generator and you use all the storage before the grid comes back up, you’ll need to rely exclusively on solar for running loads and recharging the batteries. Typically, when the grid goes down, it’s during a storm when there isn’t much sunlight. To make sure people aren’t stuck without power, we walk customers through their different sizing options.

For those who want to be completely off-grid, the process is a little more intricate. People are essentially their own utility companies, so if they run out of power, they have to manage it on their own. For these customers, we use a more comprehensive list of loads to calculate the right amount of energy storage and solar energy that will be needed to make sure they are fully prepared.

Our team usually takes about one or two days to conduct the calculations and size the system. After that, the installation of the solar and energy storage systems takes between one and two days for a small to the medium system, or up to three days for a larger system.”

Have you seen more customers interested in lithium in recent years?

“Yes, definitely. Lithium batteries have been a game-changer, especially for off-grid power systems. Historically, deep-cycle flooded lead-acid batteries were the standard because they were the best option among the lead-acid battery choices available at the time to handle the frequent charging and discharging seen in off-grid systems. However, there have been many difficulties that have come with using lead-acid batteries in off-grid systems. For example, lead-acid batteries should only be discharged at about 50 percent in order to avoid damaging the batteries. This can be hard to adhere to in off-grid systems that are cycled frequently. Therefore, lead-acid batteries often end up having a very short lifespan. Their short lifespan means that long-term costs add up due to frequent replacements.

With lithium, the off-grid lifestyle has become much more convenient, cost-effective, and accessible for more people. Lithium batteries last longer and require zero maintenance, so off-grid systems end up costing less over the same lifespan. They can be cycled frequently and deeply, and last two to three times longer than lead-acid batteries, making them a much better solution for people with a grid connection who are looking for emergency backup power as well. Additionally, they are very durable through temperature variations. For customers coming in for lead battery replacements or installing an off-grid system for the first time, we always suggest they try lithium batteries because of the myriad of benefits they provide. The majority of our new energy storage systems use lithium batteries.”

Why have you chosen BSLBATT as a partner?

“We started using BSLBATT because they had a solid reputation and track record of supplying energy storage systems for a wide array of applications. Since using them, we’ve found that they are extremely reliable and the company’s customer service is unmatched. Our priority is being confident that our customers can rely on the systems we install, and using BSLBATT batteries has helped us achieve that. Their responsive customer service teams allow us to provide the exceptional service to our clients that we pride ourselves on, and they are often the most competitively priced on the market. BSLBATT also offers a variety of capacities, which is helpful to our customers who often have varying needs, depending on if they are intending to power small systems or full-time systems.”

What are the most popular BSLBATT battery models and why do they work so well with your systems?

“Most of our customers require either a 48V Rack Mount Lithium Battery or 48V Wall Mounted Lithium Battery, so our biggest sellers are the B-LFP48-100, B-LFP48-130, B-LFP48-160, B-LFP48-200, LFP48-100PW, and B-LFP48-200PW batteries. These options provide the best support for solar-plus-storage systems because of their capacity – they have up to 50 percent more capacity and last much longer than lead-acid options. For our customers with lower capacity needs, the 12-volt power systems are suitable and we recommend the B-LFP12-100 – B-LFP12-300. Additionally, it’s a great benefit to have the Low-Temperature line available for customers using lithium batteries in colder climates.”

How important is an environmental impact to your clients?

“Being environmentally friendly is top of mind to both our customers and us. Traditional lead-acid batteries are anything but environmentally friendly due to their off-gassing and toxicity, and we are proud to offer our clients an alternative that not only has a less environmental impact but also performs at a higher level and will support their system no matter the weather conditions.”

We have compiled a variety of off-the-grid solar system examples and grouped them as

● Small DIY Solar Systems

● Medium Home Solar Systems

● Large Solar Systems

● X-Large Solar Systems

● Containerized Solar Systems

Each system can (and should) be customized to reflect your energy consumption. Fill in / adjust our easy-to-use quote form to receive an obligation-free system estimate.

Small Solar Systems

Compact and flexible solar kits for cabins, weekenders, stationary caravans, sheds, garages, or beach huts.

Small Solar Systems are compact off-grid solar systems that can be installed with little effort (instructions included). Our Small systems can supply lots of energy (3000+ Wh per day) at a budget price.

Medium Solar Systems

Medium Off-Grid Solar Systems are entry-level residential power systems, large enough to supply an efficient household with renewable energy.

Medium Home Solar Systems can be shipped as pre-wired kits or fully installed by our accredited technicians.

Large Solar Systems

Large solar power systems for typical Europe, and American households (up to 14 kWh per day).

A large solar power system is an up-scaled version of our Medium systems with a much larger inverter/charger in order to run most of your appliances simultaneously. Likewise, these systems can also be supplied as pre-wired kits or fully installed by our accredited technicians.

Distributed Lithium Battery Energy Storage Systems

High-end solar power systems for large households or offices.

Latest China technology is at the heart of our BSLBATT off-grid solar systems. B10 systems are modular and can grow with your energy needs. Also available as a three-phase system.

Containerized Systems

State-of-the-art solar power systems for farms, businesses, or even villages.

The same components found in our M100 system are containerized to create remote power systems. Our Containerised systems can accommodate up to 105 kW of solar. Only available as a three-phase system.

With costs having plummeted in recent years, solar-plus-storage systems are now a popular alternative to depending solely on a local utility, and that trend is expected to only grow. GET OFF GRID’s dedicated team has the expertise to design and install solar and energy storage systems with BSLBATT batteries that customers can trust to handle anything from power outages to extreme weather. Whether you are looking for a lead-acid battery replacement or looking to invest in your first solar-plus-storage system, get in touch with a GET OFF GRID representative today to learn more.