The term off-the-grid (OTG) or off-grid refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities. Living off-grid allows home owners to be in control of their utility future where the electricity is never goes off, never spikes, and knowing that you will never be without power. With off grid power you are your own electric company.

Photovoltaic technology converts sunlight into electricity and is emerging as a major power source due to its numerous environmental and economic benefits and proven reliability. Enough free sunlight falls on earth to supply our energy needs for years to come. As PV generates electricity from light, PV produces no air pollution or hazardous waste. It doesn't require liquid or gaseous fuel to be transported or combusted.

When the sun shines you store excess electricity in batteries and draw it out later. An off-grid inverter can convert the DC energy from solar panels, wind turbines and batteries into AC electricity which powers normal appliances.

Typical components of an off-grid system:

Photovoltaic (PV) Modules - convert sunlight instantly into electric power.

Wind Turbine - convert wind into electric power.

Inverter - converts DC power into standard AC power for use in the home, synchronizing with utility power whenever the electrical grid is distributing electricity.

Battery - stores energy when there is an excess coming in and distribute it back out when there is a demand. Solar PV panels continue to re-charge batteries each day to maintain battery charge.

Utility Meter - utility power is automatically provided at night and during the day when the demand exceeds your solar electric power production. The utility meter actually spins backwards when solar power production exceeds house demand, allowing you to credit any excess electricity against future utility bills.

Charge Controller - prevents battery overcharging and prolongs the battery life of your PV system.

Ecopoint specializes in designing an off-grid system that is right for the customer. We ensure that the wind turbines, photo voltaic panels, inverter and batteries are high quality, so that the off-grid system operates problem free for many years.

On-Grid (grid-connected) system

An independent power system that is connected to an electricity transmission and distribution system (referred to as the electricity grid) such that the system can draw on the grid's reserve capacity in times of need, and feed electricity back into the grid during times of excess production.

Grid-connected PV systems need no energy storage and therefore eliminate the greatest expense of a stand-alone installation. The grid acts as your energy reserve.

• No energy wasted - any surplus electricity is contributed to the grid. This is particularly worthwhile during periods of absence, during week-ends or holidays for example when your modules continue to churn out electricity.
• No losses due to the battery storage process (when the battery is already fully charged for example).

You don't have to carefully calculate your electricity needs or make contingency plans for exceptionally high demands. You can start out small and grow later without complicated sizing problems. You can decide to meet only part of your needs or all of them - or even more.

Components of a grid-connected system:

Photovoltaic (PV) Modules - convert sunlight instantly into electric power.

Wind Turbine - convert wind into electric power.

Inverter - converts DC power into standard AC power for use in the home, synchronizing with utility power whenever the electrical grid is distributing electricity. In the case of grid connected systems, a special inverter is used that transforms the panels' current so that it's compatible with the grid's specs. It's the "interface" between your system and the electric company.

Utility Meter - utility power is automatically provided at night and during the day when the demand exceeds your solar electric power production. The utility meter actually spins backwards when solar power production exceeds house demand, allowing you to credit any excess electricity against future utility bills.

The principle is really very simple. Ideally the wind turbines and/or photovoltaic panels produce more or less the amount of energy consumed by the house's inhabitants. Whenever the panels' output is less than the needs of the household, the grid supplies and meters the difference. The grid acts like a battery.

When the panels produce more than the household needs, when the occupants are away, for example, the "surplus" energy is available for other consumers connected to the grid, and your meter will "run backwards," although in most cases, it will be a second meter to record the flow of electricity in the other direction. The owner of the PV system will be reimbursed for his contribution to the grid in areas where there is net metering laws.

In other words, you can forget about all the tedious technicalities relating to batteries, charge controllers, diodes, DC and AC, and the problem of sizing suddenly becomes smaller!