Off-Grid Power Systems
Perform a load analysis for a real building, size the array, battery bank, charge controller and inverter from it, specify wire and overcurrent protection correctly, and install a system that is safe, grounded and code-compliant.
What you will be able to do
- Run a load analysis that drives every downstream number
- Size array, bank, controller and inverter from that one analysis
- Specify conductors and overcurrent protection to the adopted NEC
- Ground and protect a system so it is safe to work on
Syllabus
7 parts · 18 lessons · 76 assessed questions · about 4 hours
Part A FUNDAMENTALS
- 1Energy, Power and How They Are Measured10 min · 4 q
- 2Photovoltaics9 min · 4 q
- 3Series and Parallel10 min · 4 q
- 4AC and DC9 min · 4 q
Part B SYSTEM TYPES AND COMPONENTS
- 5The Four System Types11 min · 4 q
- 6Components12 min · 4 q
Part C SIZING
- 7Load Analysis13 min · 4 q
- 8Battery Bank Sizing12 min · 4 q
- 9System Voltage10 min · 4 q
- 10Array Sizing11 min · 4 q
Part D CONDUCTORS AND PROTECTION
- 11Wire Sizing and Voltage Drop11 min · 4 q
- 12Overcurrent Protection11 min · 4 q
- 13Fire and Shock Hazard Thresholds10 min · 4 q
Part E GROUNDING
- 14Grounding the PV System14 min · 5 q
Part F DISTRIBUTION AND TOOLS
- 15Distribution, Breakers and Receptacles16 min · 5 q
- 16Tools and Terminology9 min · 4 q
Part G BATTERY SAFETY AND OTHER SOURCES
- 17The Battery Room14 min · 5 q
- 18Wind, Micro-Hydro and Generators15 min · 5 q
Before you start
Recommended: Courses 1, 8, 9 (loads from water and waste systems feed this one)
About this course
Course competency
On completing this course you can perform a load analysis for a real building, size an array, battery bank, charge controller and inverter from it, specify wire and overcurrent protection correctly, and install a system that is safe, grounded and code-compliant.
Scope and safety - read this first
This course teaches electrical system design and the principles of installation. It is not a substitute for an electrical license, and it does not authorise you to perform work that your jurisdiction reserves to licensed electricians.
Three rules that apply throughout, without exception:
- Check local regulations and permit requirements before beginning any electrical work.
- The installer should be a contractor licensed to perform the work, comply with the electrical code, and follow every equipment listing's installation instructions.
- If you are unsure about any step in this course, stop and consult a licensed electrician.
Nothing else in the Level 1 track can hurt someone as quickly as this can. A wall built wrong leans. A water system built wrong runs dry. A power system built wrong burns the house down with people in it. Treat every fuse, breaker, conductor size and ground connection in this course as non-negotiable.
Why this course exists
Water reaches the tap because a pump runs. Greywater reaches the toilet because a pump runs. The building's water and waste systems from Courses 8 and 9 are electrical loads, and they are loads that cannot fail.
That is the framing for off-grid power in a regenerative building: it is not an amenity layer added at the end. It is the system the other systems depend on, and it is the one place where "roughly right" produces a house that goes dark in February.
Off-grid also removes the last dependency. A building that catches its own water, treats its own waste and makes its own power owes nothing to infrastructure it does not control - which is what makes housing possible where extending a utility line would cost more than the house.
Course structure
| Part | Lessons | Subject |
|---|---|---|
| A | 1-4 | Fundamentals - energy, PV, circuits, AC and DC |
| B | 5-6 | System types and components |
| C | 7-10 | Sizing - loads, batteries, array, system voltage |
| D | 11-13 | Conductors and overcurrent protection |
| E | 14 | Grounding |
| F | 15-16 | Distribution, safety and tools |
| G | 17-18 | Battery room safety, and other generation sources |