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'll 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 quiz questions · ≈3.5 hours of reading · sign in to open lessons
Part A FUNDAMENTALS
- 1 Energy, Power and How They Are Measured 10 min · 4 q
- 2 Photovoltaics 9 min · 4 q
- 3 Series and Parallel 10 min · 4 q
- 4 AC and DC 9 min · 4 q
Part B SYSTEM TYPES AND COMPONENTS
- 5 The Four System Types 11 min · 4 q
- 6 Components 12 min · 4 q
Part C SIZING
- 7 Load Analysis 13 min · 4 q
- 8 Battery Bank Sizing 12 min · 4 q
- 9 System Voltage 10 min · 4 q
- 10 Array Sizing 11 min · 4 q
Part D CONDUCTORS AND PROTECTION
- 11 Wire Sizing and Voltage Drop 11 min · 4 q
- 12 Overcurrent Protection 11 min · 4 q
- 13 Fire and Shock Hazard Thresholds 10 min · 4 q
Part E GROUNDING
- 14 Grounding the PV System 14 min · 5 q
Part F DISTRIBUTION AND TOOLS
- 15 Distribution, Breakers and Receptacles 16 min · 5 q
- 16 Tools and Terminology 9 min · 4 q
Part G BATTERY SAFETY AND OTHER SOURCES
- 17 The Battery Room 14 min · 5 q
- 18 Wind, Micro-Hydro and Generators 15 min · 5 q
Prerequisites
Recommended: Courses 1, 8, 9 (loads from water and waste systems feed this one)
Assessment
Module quizzes: one per lesson, 3–5 multiple choice questions.
Final examination:
| Area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Fundamentals — energy, PV, series/parallel, AC/DC | 15% |
| System types and components | 10% |
| Sizing — loads, batteries, array, system voltage | 25% |
| Conductors and overcurrent protection | 20% |
| Grounding | 15% |
| Battery room safety | 10% |
| Distribution, other sources and tools | 5% |
Practical submission (required for Pangea Certified Builder credit): a complete off-grid power design for a real or specified site — full load analysis from an actual appliance list, system voltage selection with justification, battery bank sizing including autonomy, depth of discharge and temperature correction, array sizing against site sun-hour data, conductor sizing for both voltage drop and ampacity on every run, complete overcurrent protection schedule, and a grounding plan.
Integration requirement: the load analysis must include the pumps specified in the Course 8 and Course 9 designs for the same building, at their actual duty cycles. A power design that omits the water and waste loads is not a design for that building.
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 licence, 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 |
The public page for this course has the same syllabus without your progress on it - that is the one to send to somebody else.