A personal power plant is no science fiction these days. In fact, it’s a solution that is also available to all those who are too far from ordinary power lines and poles. An off-grid power plant* generates all the electricity you need from the sun and wind, and takes you one step closer to green consumption.

The principle of operation of the off-grid power plant created by our engineers is quite simple: electricity generated mostly with solar panels is used immediately or stored in a battery bank. In other words, you produce as much as you consume… or you consume as much as you produce. And no network connection is needed. Easy!

One of the users of an off-grid solution is Aivar Auväärt. He has a doctoral degree in energy and impressive knowledge in the field. Therefore, Aivar is the right person to give us feedback.

Aivar, where is your off-grid power plant located?

I installed an off-grid power plant in my country house in the middle of the North Sakala forest. As there has never been electricity in the building and the nearest power lines are three kilometers away, it seemed the only reasonable solution.

From my point of view as an electricity consumer, this is a good opportunity: I can use modern conveniences in a place where it would be unreasonably expensive to have electricity in the traditional way.

Did you choose one of our ready-made packages or did you have your say?

The ready-made packages were not quite suitable for my needs, so we redesigned a bit. For example, I use lithium-ion batteries to store electricity, and we chose the equipment according to the fact that if electricity consumption increases in the future, it will be easy to upgrade the existing technology. With my solution, the number of solar panels can be doubled.

How much consumption does the power plant cover?

The plant has a maximum capacity of 7.2 kW and is currently primarily intended for seasonal use. The energy from the solar panels drives the kettle, the water pump, the refrigerator and the electric oven, not to mention the less powerful appliances.

There is also a petrol generator in the household to cover off-season consumption. One thing I can say for sure: compared to a generator, an off-grid plant is almost silent.

Power plant in your backyard – is it a long and complicated process?

I took a few months to think, but it took me four months from accepting the quote to signing the acceptance report. I wouldn’t say it was a long and complicated process. In addition, communication with Eesti Energia has always been sufficient and all my questions have been answered. The company's employees have enough experience.

Although your power plant is waiting for the summer to really prove itself, what is your assessment based on your user experience so far?

The off-grid power plant works!

*An off-grid power plant is a home power plant that is independent of the power network and generates green energy directly from nature. A home power plant is well suited for the seasonal supply of electricity to cottages or summer houses, for example, while a generator should be added for the winter. The possibilities of an off-grid power plant are limitless, because as the need for electricity increases, solar panels, batteries and other components can be added to it.

By the way, we have installed one of the largest off-grid plants in Estonia on the island of Ruhnu, where the sun, wind and generator supply electricity to all local consumers.

See more about off-grid power plant