Off-grid

Mali, Africa: Solar Panels replace the generator

For more than 15 years Camazending is relying on the equipment of Victron Energy. The main purpose of Camazending is to educate people in Africa in order to live a happy and independent life. Camazending has installed many Victron inverters in radio stations, medical posts in the bush and also large installations in hospitals and schools. This school in Koutiala works entirely on solar energy. The solar panels are connected to 3 Victron inverters, which are installed in a cool container underground. The generated energy is used for lighting and computers in the school. The generator is only being used occasionally, if extra energy is needed when the school is being used for conferences or weddings.

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An Island in the Golf of Morbihan, Bretagne, France

The islands of the Golf of Morbihan were occupied by old farms, where now residents are living. The islands are without electricity. Here solar panels were supplying the electricity, with diesel generator back-up. Two MultiPlus 24/3000/70 units and a 1200 Ah battery bank have been added to the system. The solar panels are connected by a grid connected inverter at the 230 VAC output of the MultiPlus. When the 5 kW generator is on, the MultiPlus units will operate in parallel with the generator to provide a peak power of up to 11 kW. Instead of running continuously (and at low average load) when insufficient solar power is available, the generator now operates only a few hours per day and at its most efficient load point, thanks to the PowerControl and PowerAssist functions of the MultiPlus. Yearly fuel consumption is reduced by a factor of three. Planning and installation: Aerec, Thierry Plaqué.

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Lonavala, India: A farmhouse powered by sun and wind

This farmhouse in Lonavala, about 80 km from Mumbai, is provided with an off-grid autonomous system, using a 1,4 kW Dutch Wind turbine (Model Passaat from Fortis Wind Energy) and a 520W Solar PV System. Due to frequent power cut-outs and to avoid use of a diesel generator, the system supplies electricity to the farmhouse loads like lights, fans, TV etc. The hybrid system provides the client with clean and reliable energy with negligible maintenance requirements and saves on use of diesel for the generator. The Phoenix C24-1600 (230V 50Hz Inverter) is connected to four batteries with a total capacity of 24V/300Ah. This is sufficient for a farmhouse to power its lights, fans, TV, etc. In the near future, three more systems are being installed (in a Hospital, an industrial unit and another farm house). For Victron Energy, these are the first steps to powering a fast growing Indian market. The installation has been supplied and installed by Spitzen Energy Solutions from Pune in India.

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Spain: A MultiPlus/Skylla combination

A private home suffering from a poor connection to the Spanish grid. Often this causes its power supply to disappear completely. When grid is available, two Victron Skylla battery chargers pull the maximum available current. Through a three-phase 48V system consisting out of 12 Victron 48/3000 MultiPlus units the battery bank can deliver the peak power that is needed. Whereas the two battery chargers recharge the batteries when the power demand is low (mainly at nighttime). The generator is merely used when the grid power is unavailable for a longer period of time.

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Botswana, Africa: an entire camp running solely on solar power

This installation, designed and installed by On Track Alternative Power, provides an ultra luxurious 5-star African camp with all of the energy it desires. Being the first in the world to run entirely on solar power, the Zarafa camp in the Selinda reserve is setting a trend. National Geographic Adventures has honored the camp as one of the best 25 eco-lodges in the world. This isn’t very surprising considering its intense beauty and luxury. The capacity of the solar installation is 127kW which feeds into 96x 2.2V flooded traction batteries. A 45kVa super silent generator is used merely as a backup for the system and is hardly ever used.

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Valencia, Spain: Victron keeping fish alive

This Spanish fish farm near Valencia switched to an autonomous Victron system in order to prevent their fish from dying. Due to the unreliable grid connection the high risk of death was unacceptable. Sol de Hogar installed 12 Victron Multi’s and 10 Victron Skylla’s. Together with a 100kVA generator and solar panels the Victron system can secure the safety of the fish.

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Toledo, Spain: A MultiPlus system

This Spanish off-grid home is dependent on a generator and solar panels. Victron Energy installed 9 MultiPlus units which are connected to a 4000Ah 48V battery system. The Battery bank is charged by both the solar panels and (through the Multi’s) the generator. This hybrid configuration results in a reduction of generator operating time by 75% and a reduction of fuel consumption by 60%. Sufficient free space around each MultiPlus unit was created for ventilation purposes. In order to ensure proper cooling the ventilation openings are not blocked in any way.

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Pyrenees, France: base camp relies on Victron

This old Catalan farm was transformed into an exclusive hostelry accommodation. There was one problem however: no electricity. There was no way to get it there except at extreme costs while at the same time spoiling the landscape with power lines and poles. The solution? A hybrid eco-technology system, consisting of a generator, solar panels, batteries and inverter/chargers. Thus a 50kW generator, a set of 9 Victron MultiPlus units and a battery bank of 48V/2000Ah were installed. Plans for the near future include 300m² solar panels, two more battery banks and doubling the amount of MultiPlus units to reach 50kW, almost 100kW when PowerAssist kicks in. In the end, the generator will be practically superfluous.

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Africa: Mega Victron Power Board

This 'Power Board’ was designed and built by Mick Abraham of abrahamsolar.com for a missionary health clinic in Africa. In addition to the Victron equipment, the board features Mick’s own switchgear product, the MegaBox™. Mick says:”I’ve worked with all brands of power electronics, and I like Victron gear best of all. With other high end inverters, I get many phone calls from confused customers; Victron inverters and Multi’s are much more user friendly. The matching chargers and extensive Victron line allow for much more flexibility in the systems I build. Best of all, Victron battery charge circuits really deliver the power they promise – what a novel idea!”


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Mount Everest: the MultiPlus on its way ‘to the top’

‘The robust construction, compact dimensions and unrivalled reputation for dependability in demanding circumstances were the key reasons why the MultiPlus has been chosen for this project.’ Together with Honda portable generators and Exide batteries Victron’s MultiPlus inverter/charger combination ensured that power requirements were fully satisfied during the X-treme Everest Expedition. “We were so pleased with the MultiPlus, it has never let us down” said Mac Mckenney, expedition manager. The inverter/charger assured power supply at all times: providing sophisticated battery charging from the generator and switching seamlessly to deliver inverter power if the generator suplpy was interrupted. The Victron unit was the first choice of the expedition organizers and, when approached, Victron Energy was more than pleased to be involved.

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The Netherlands: Giant Kites

Scientists from Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands are currently investigating a relatively new form of sustainable energy. The scientists have produced 10 kilowatts of power by flying a 10sq metre kite which was connected to a generator. This is enough electricity to meet the power needs of 10 family houses. The system is equipped with a Phoenix Inverter 24/3000 from Victron Energy. They are now experimenting with a 50KW version of their invention, which is named Laddermill.

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Brussels, Belgium: Projectors powered by Victron

Technology in the gaming world is highly developed. Games are graphically so well made that it almost looks real. On the 4th of March 2010, residents of Brussels (Belgium) were in a special way introduced to the new game Battlefield 2 by Electronic Arts Belgium. A couple of men, dressed as snipers, were ‘armed’ with a projector, a console and a gaming backpack. The snipers visited various shopping centers and as they walked, they also played the new Battlefield game. The game was projected by the projector on the ground or on a building. The projectors were coupled with a battery of 50 Ampere hours, a Blue Power charger and a Phoenix Inverter from Victron Energy. The Phoenix inverter was mounted under the projector, the rest of the equipment was carried along in the backpack. In this way, it was possible to present the video images at any location.

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Angola, Africa: A Victron backup system for an African lodge

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Nigeria, 2005: a Multi/Skylla system

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