Last year we installed a fully off-grid solar and battery system at a house in Hitchin, Hertfordshire – that is, a system that can keep the house running a power cut. It was a large system, with solar panels on the front and back roofs of the house, a Victron 8000VA battery inverter and 21kWh of battery storage.
This year we were invited back to upgrade the system. This included the addition of two new features, both firsts for us:
- An Andersen electric vehicle charge point: we usually install Zappi chargers because of their excellent integration with solar and battery systems, but for this house the premium aesthetic look of the Andersen was more appropriate.
- A Solar Ramp: we have installed hundreds of panels on pitched/tiled roofs, and on flat roofs using frames arranged in rows. The Solar Ramp is a bit different, and allows panels to be packed into a smaller space by joining them together onto an angled ‘ramp’ as this removes the need for space between them (to avoid one row of panels to shade the next).
The Andersen very neatly hides the charging cable and connector inside itself so that it looks smart on the front of a house.
Andersen EV charge point – closed and open (Image: Tanjent)
The Solar Ramp’s efficient use of space allowed us to install panels on a narrow garage roof (as the house roofs were already full of panels) that would otherwise have gone to waste.
Solar panels installed on a Solar Ramp (Image: Tanjent)
If you’d like us to create a custom solar and battery design for your home, just get in touch.
