What is meant by a "Behind-the-Meter" System ?
Most premises have a Power Box & State Grid Meter, the term "Behind-the-Meter" (BTM) is the blanket term for Solar Power Systems that operate independently of the State Grid, these are all Installed Behind the Power Meter, even though these systems do Not need the State Grid Power to work if a Battery is installed.
People transitioning away from State Grid Power come in Three categories;
- New Customers getting Quoted upwards of $10'000 per Power Pole to bring State Grid Power too there Premiss, and then still having to Pay a Monthly Connection Fee, and still have to pay for all the Energy they consume !
- Existing Customers get sick of Paying ever increasing Power Rates &/or are sick of Black-outs.
Commonly those already State Grid Connected sometimes remain Connected for several weeks, Testing there New Micro Power Grid to see how Easy, Reliable & Trouble Free a correctly configured Micro Power Grid operates.
- Existing Customers that have fitted a Large Solar Array that reduced there Power Bill, but never installed Energy Storage, then realise that there FIT Paid for there Excess Power is 1/3 of the Cost they are Charged to purchase Power back from the Stage Grid after Sunset through to Sunrise !
Basically a BTM System gives the system Owners Total control of there Power & Energy, and provides the option to Export (On-sell) there Excess Energy to the State Grid for a Feed-in Tariff, or to sell the Excess Energy to anyone connected to the State Grid via P2P/VPP Energy Trading.
However, if you have a Neighbour you can run your own Power Cable too there property & sell your Power at an agreed rate, with no intervention from anyone ! In other words, you are in control of your own Power & Energy !
The only equipment you need to Purchase is a Hybrid Inverter, Solar Panels, Energy Storage, and a small Generator for Back-up Proofing a premiss, then you will have very little need for the State Grid.
NB: Energy Storage is the Golden Key to Power independence, and if any Retailer says Energy Storage is to expensive, look at what they are trying sell you, it's usually an oversize Solar Array using Cave-man Fixed Tilted Solar Racking, but most Retailers are chasing your System STC's, that they get you to sign them over, and that earns the Retailer from $3'000 to over $4'000, or they are making Large profits by marking-up there Equipment. NB: Lithium (LiFePO4) should not cost you more that $600 per kWh.
Black-out Proofing a System: A small 4.5kW Silenced Generator is all that is required to replace the need to be State Grid Connected, as our Inverters come with a Auto Generator Start (AGS) function, that Stars a Generator based on how you program the inverter, either on Depth-of-Discharge (DOD) or the Energy Storage Voltage.
It is advisable to program the Inverter so that the Generator will only run for a short time, thus not fully charging the Batteries, where in the Morning the Batteries are fully charged, thus wasting Solar energy with nothing to Charge.
Generator Time Charging is a good option if needed, however during bad weather Solar will still be Charging the Batteries at a slower rate, and a small Vertical Axis Wind Turbine (VAWT) would also be a great addition to a Micro Grid, as commonly during Bad weather there is abundant Wind.
The Smart investor will purchase at Least the kWh of Energy Storage they consume between Solar-Sunset and Sunrise, the more Energy Storage you invest in, the Better position you will be in during Cloudy & Extended Bad Weather, and in turn will never have to Import Power at three times what you are paid for the FIT Rate, if Sate Grid connected ! |
