How to Design Off-Grid Systems on OpenSolar

Summary:

This article guides you through the process of designing off-grid solar systems using OpenSolar. It includes step-by-step instructions for setting up a dedicated off-grid proposal template and configuring system design settings to ensure no grid export.

Setting Up an Off-Grid Proposal Template:

Creating a dedicated off-grid proposal template helps remove irrelevant content from your standard templates and allows you to highlight off-grid-specific information for your customers.

• Navigate to Control > Purchase Experience > Proposal Template.

• Click + Proposal Template to create a new template.

• Name the template appropriately (e.g., "Off-Grid Proposal Template").

Recommended Settings:

Under Proposal Settings, we recommend turning off the following to avoid confusion, as they typically rely on grid-tied assumptions:

• How your system works

• Bill savings

• Financial benefits

• Environmental benefits

We recommend keeping the following ON as they are still relevant for off-grid projects:

• Daily Energy Flows

• System Performance

• System Details

We also suggest going into Proposal Settings > Featured Figures.

Remove any financial figures such as ROI, Payback Period, or Bill Savings.

Add or retain technical and system-level figures such as:

• Annual Solar Generation

• PV System Size

• System Price

• Battery Size

Click Save to confirm all changes.

Designing the Off-Grid System:

Once your proposal template is ready, follow these steps to ensure your system is properly configured as off-grid.

Adjusting Export Limit:

1. Navigate to Design > Advanced Settings in the project.

2. Set the Export Limit to 0 kW.

Setting the export limit to 0 ensures that no excess energy is considered exported to the grid, mimicking off-grid conditions.

System Design:

• Proceed with designing your system as usual.

• Include sufficient battery storage and generation capacity to support the off-grid energy demands.

• Consider using energy flow simulations to verify off-grid independence.

Applying the Off-Grid Proposal Template:

After designing your system:

1. Go to the Customize Proposal tab (available in both online and PDF proposal views).

2. From the Proposal Template dropdown, select your off-grid proposal template.

This ensures your proposal reflects the appropriate off-grid messaging and figures.

Additional Tips:

• Battery Sizing: For off-grid systems, battery capacity is critical. Consider using the Load Profile Analysis to guide appropriate sizing.

• Consumption Monitoring: While bill savings are not relevant, you may still include energy usage analysis if you have data.

• Environmental Messaging: If preferred, tailor custom content to focus on energy independence and resilience instead of environmental benefits.