Are you the type that works from home? it would be very important that you do your work uninterrupted. Would you install the whole system to run the library and the whole house in general? Personally, my business is very sensitive. I can’t afford blackouts every now and then due to failed system.
The library of an off-grid house may become business offices, and sometimes you may even find you work with even three more personnel. Why would you go at a loss paying office rent when you can make the library of your off grid mansion your business offices? And since you can’t afford lights off at your business room, you can choose to have a different system apart from the main system.
The following budget is for a business solar system:
- Computer 80 watts x 3
- Scanner 30 watts
- Printer 50 watts
- Router 20 watts
- Laptops x 2 20 watts
- Coffee maker 600 watts
- Fan 100 watts
- photocopier 200 watts
Sizing of the system
Mostly most of the office appliance are kept running from 8.00 AM in the morning when the office opens until 4.00 PM when the offices are closed. In total, the office operates for 8 hours.
Total watts= 1280 watts
Total Watt hours= 1280 x 8= 10240 watt hours
REMEMBER
- Generation factor=4.1 (Chicago)
- Battery losses=0.85
- Battery depth of discharge=0.6
- Solar charge controller losses=1.3
- Inverter watts allowance=30%
Solar panel
10240watt-hour/= 2500watts
2500watts/250watts=10=10,250watts solar panels
Inverter
(0.30×1280)+1280watts=1664=1500watts inverter
Battery bank
10240watt-hours/0.85/0.6=20078.43 watt-hours
20078.43watt-hour/12 volts= 1673.2026AH
1673.2026AH/100AH=16.7=16,100AH batteries
Solar charge controller
8.44A x1.3 x5=54 =80A charge controller is available
Nr of components needed
- Nr of components: (A)
- Price each: (B)
- Price total: (C)
RENOGY 250W Watt Polycrystalline Black Solar Panel
A: 10
B: $349.99
C: $3499.9
GTSUN 3000w Peak 9000w Pure Sine Wave Inverter with Charger 45A
A: 1
B: $699
C: $699
Casil 12v 100ah Battery for RENOGY PV SOLAR PANELS
A: 16
B: $161.99
C: $2591.84
Outback Flexmax 80 FM80 MPPT 80 AMP Solar Charge Controller
A: 1
B: $571.52
C: $571.52
Total price:
$7362.26
Conclusion
Some may ask why a business budget is so high? The reason why this business budget is high is because you would need to size even for future upgrading of the premise using nothing but the best solar components.
Suppose as you business becomes bigger, you would probably employ more people. The solar components used can cater for more loads. For instant take it that your added more computers, the inverter used have twice the capacity needed, that would cater for more loads and an increment in battery bank capacity. For the solar charge used it would hold addition of more solar panels.
Another factor that makes the budget high is that the loads operate simultaneously for eight hours a day. Unlike in household where some loads are barely switched on, in a business, the loads are always switched on till business closing. This budget will ensure that the business runs smoothly without power faults.
So, what are your thoughts on this? Rate and comment! 🙂
/Ephraim
