SolarQuip understand the joys and challenges of living off grid. Proprietor Glen Morris has done so for the last 20 years and hasn’t looked back.

It doesn’t have to be a frugal existence. Comfortable living – meeting all your energy needs even in winter months - is quite achievable, giving you energy security and independence. The key is good energy management, the right renewable energy technology and correct installation for your unique location.

SolarQuip have extensive experience designing power systems for off grid and remote locations. These systems include solar power and hot water, wind turbines and mini hydro power generation.

Our priorities are designing a system that will meet your energy needs, will be cost effective, and will use components that will last longest with a minimum of attention and maintenance.

SolarQuip recognizes that this is a major investment and therefore spend time with you to properly assess your location and design accordingly. You’re invited to learn more about SolarQuip, our 2 year guarantee of workmanship and customer support.

An important first step towards energy self-sufficiency is to minimise any unnecessary power use. Ensure your home has a good solar passive design to reduce the need for heating or cooling and get appliances with high energy efficiency ratings. Consider non-electrical alternatives for heating and possibly for your fridge.

Install a good quality solar hot water system that will many provide years of service. SolarQuip have a system to suit your water heating needs.

If you think your site may suit a wind power or micro-hydro power system, we can offer a site assessment to guide you through the possibilities.

The first step in setting up a solar PV power system is locating the best north facing location and assessing the optimum system size for this location. If your roof does not have north facing surface or is shaded too much, we have pole mount systems to suit.

The system size, orientation and the tilt of the panels allows us to estimate the annual power generation of the system. For off grid systems, the tilt is generally 37° to achieve the best solar performance in winter, when you need to make the most of available sunlight.

An off-grid solar kit usually incorporates a power generation system as well as an energy storage system. A solar array is configured in 'strings' to produce a voltage closely matched to the inverter in use.

The power coming from your photovoltaic panels or other renewable energy source is managed by a charge controller through a process known as ‘maximum power point tracking. This controller ensures that your photovoltaic array is operating at its highest efficient DC voltage - and in remote locations the extra charge gained may be critical in winter months.

The charge controller passes the generated electicity on to the inverter. Our best inverters are multi-function devices that manages the charging of your batteries from the PV or wind generator, automatically controls a backup diesel generator when necessary to keep your batteries in good charge, as well as converting your battery DC voltage to an AC supply ready to run all your lighting and appliances.

THe battery storage system is generally configured to run at 24 or 48 volts. It is contained in a separate room or boxed in if in the same room as the inverter and other circuitry. A monitor will allow you to see at a glance what the 'state of charge' of the battery system is. A diesel or petrol backup generator is commonly available to keep the batteries at a good charge level at times when insufficient sun or wind is available.

A system such as this will generally require no maintenance other than regular monitoring of the battery charge state. More time to enjoy the great outdoors.