One of the great things about generating your own power on site is the lower amount wasted of electrical energy as you are not transmitting it miles over the national grid. Some conservative estimates are that greater than 7% of the energy is lost in transmission!
Off Grid systems are not necessarily perfect either, storage of electrical energy in batteries is also inefficient. However if your energy sources closely match your energy use, your storage requirements are reduced and thus the system can be overall more efficient.
Watch the short video on creating a smarter grid…
A power grid 5% more efficient could equate to taking 50 million cars off the road! Wow!
A micro hydro, or I prefer to call it a “pico-hydro” system also provides power for the Eco-stay.
Why pico hydro? Well usually our water turbine is only putting out approximate 100 Watts! Now you may think that is nothing, but over a course of a day that is 2.4kW of energy. On average our Eco stay uses less than 2.5kW of power a day!
It is interesting to note that NZ power companies usually have a low user plan, this is under 6KW a day for most of them! So I think this ranks our eco-stay for the minimalistic plan (if there was one!).
Off grid or stand alone power system are most common in remote locations without utility grid service, installed for a variety of reasons, including the prohibitive cost of connecting to the grid, the appeal of an independent lifestyle, or the reliability a solar system provides.
There are adjustments to when and how use electricity when living totally off the gird. If you do not live within the limitations of the system’s design and capacity you will be sitting in the dark! .
This requires a shift to a more conscientious use of electricity.
The following illustration includes the primary components of any off grid solar electric system.
"A piece of paradise on earth - a guilt free existence knowing that all one's indulgences - long showers, gourmet cooking and invigorating walks - can all be done without taking from the earth's precious resources."
