Off Grid Property: Homestead and Large Machinery Shed Power Supply
Client Brief:
The client lives and operates a large sheep and cattle station in Western Queensland. The requirement was to fully support all services required by the property with no mains connection available whatsoever. This design included power supply to the homestead and the machinery shed for all single and 3 phase equipment.
The installation was designed to meet the current energy demand, which could be expanded upon in the future.
Challenges:
As this energy installation was located in a remote area, it required all components being transported a long distance to the site. This was facilitated by major components of the system being pre-fabricated and tested in our Sydney facility before delivery, to minimise the risk of anything being left behind.
The energy supply system was required to generate enough power for domestic services at the homestead without experiencing any downtime. The ability to power 3 phase air conditioning and workshop machinery was also a requirement.
The system needed to support all electrical loads of the homestead and workshop at the same time. Due to being completely off grid, a large backup generator was installed in addition to the large solar array. The system is designed to utilize solar and battery storage for all loads as the primary source, however the generator can be automatically called upon during periods of extreme electrical load or long periods of rain and cloud cover.
Components of the Energy System:
| Product | Model | Part | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Inverter Charger | x3 Victron Quattro 48v 15000/200/100-230 | (QUA483150000) |
| Battery Bank | x12 5kw EV Power ESS 48v 100 A/Hr in Custom built stainless steel enclosure (60 Kw/Hr total capacity) | |
| Solar Controller | x4 Victron Smart solar MPPT 250/100 | (SCC125110412) |
| Solar Panel | x48 Sunpower Maxeon3 415w Black shading resistant total array size 19 920w | (SPR-MAX3-415-BLK-R) |
| Battery Monitor | Victron Smart Shunt 1000A/500mv | (SHU065210050) |
| Monitoring Hub | Victron Cerbo GX | (BPP900450100) |
| Monitoring Touch Screen | Victron GX Touch 70 | (BPP900455070) |
| Diesel Generator | Yanmar 3 phase 45kva | (YH550 DTLS) |
| Internet connection | Starlink Standard ($139 AUD per month) |
Supporting heavy DC cabling and circuit protection appropriate to this installation was used throughout the system.
The system Incorporated a Victron Cerbo GX with a Touch 70 installed in the Homestead for local monitoring. We also installed a Starlink standard dish to provide remote internet access for VRM based monitoring and control of the system from anywhere in the world. This included the ability to start and stop the generator and receive notification of system status which is fully customisable to specific user preferences.
The generator shed was designed to keep the generator out of the elements and further silenced on top of its own silencing cabinet. It also included a simple but effective fuel management system combining its internal 100 litre diesel tank with a quick disconnect 205 litre drum on a pallet allowing easy refueling whilst leaving several days of generator run time available with the drum disconnected.
