In cases where the cost of connection to the network is high and in cases where the use of the property is intermittent, such as use only in the summer months or use only on weekends with consumptions such as refrigerator-lights-television, the installation of an autonomous system is the best solution in most cases.

In cases where there is already a connection to the grid, an inventory of energy needs and a study by an experienced technician should be made to see if it is advantageous to have a stand-alone system or a net-metering system interconnected to the grid.

Many times we have heard people who have installed a standalone system complain that they have spent money and their system doesn't cover them or keeps having problems.

This is true when a system has not been properly designed and dimensioned from the beginning or when the equipment selected or proposed by the installer does not meet the needs of the customer either out of ignorance or deliberately to reduce costs for the customer and worse still to increase the profit of the installer or vendor.

Unfortunately, the multitude of electronics stores dealing with autonomous photovoltaics promote poor quality Chinese equipment that not only do not meet basic specifications but often cheat with their technical characteristics.

By choosing branded products we ensure proper operation during the lifetime of the machines and we are sure that the money we spend corresponds to the quality promised by the manufacturer.

We choose only branded products from well-known manufacturers with proper technical coverage and from factories that have been in business for many decades.

In the field of autonomous systems, the canon "What you pay is what you get" applies 100%!!!!

We can start with a smaller system when the cost is high to set up from the beginning the larger system where we would ideally like to and gradually expand it to achieve the desired result.

In any case, the technical advisor we have chosen to guide us is responsible for avoiding mistakes that cost money.

Do not hesitate to call the technical team of Solar-shop.gr to dimension your system together.

First of all, what we need to know is the final desired size of the system to know where we want to get to.

As far as the photovoltaics and the charge controllers are concerned there is no problem as during the expansion we can easily add additional panels with their own controller to the existing batteries.

The problem of expansion is mainly focused on the inverter, which must either be chosen from the beginning of a higher power model or, ideally, an inverter with paralleling capability.

As for the batteries in most cases we can add to increase the capacity of our warehouse but we must consult our technician so that the expansion does not end up being unprofitable.

Under no circumstances do we place different batteries together either in type or capacity.

As a rule, open-type batteries are the best solution in terms of price-quality ratio, they have a longer life and can give us more charge-discharge cycles.

Their "disadvantage" is that they need some maintenance and require our inspection periodically and more often during the summer months.

Closed-type batteries are mainly recommended for smaller systems or for locations where the equipment is in direct contact with humans, such as small one-room houses where the equipment is in the same room as the bed or kitchen. In these cases open type batteries are not recommended due to fumes.

Attention in the choice of batteries should be paid to both the company that manufactures them and their technical characteristics. ( look for the manufacturer to find out if it is a big factory or a no name product that someone has christened with a fanciful name)

In small systems even if the wind potential is good enough to support it do not recommend a wind turbine because we can get the energy we need , even in the winter months , more economically by adding a few more panels to our system.

In larger systems with high consumption during the winter months or during the night we can add a wind turbine to cover our needs.

We must always keep in mind that a wind turbine is a mobile mechanism and needs maintenance while photovoltaic panels need no more than cleaning with water.

The second thing to know is that most small and economical wind turbines are short-circuit braking so that they do not exceed their endurance limit and as a result, in prolonged gusts of wind, the short-circuit power "breaks" and they burn up.

Only the largest and most expensive wind turbines with serious construction have mechanical brakes and are not at risk from high wind speeds.

As a rule, in small systems with 1-2 panels we work on 12 Volt battery voltage as we need 1-2 12 Volt batteries to cover us.

When we want to install a larger system or when we intend to expand the system in the future we choose to set it up at 24 Volts.

For very large systems and for reasons of proper current management and money saving during expansion it is better to work on 48 Volt.

Having basic knowledge of electrical engineering, one can, with proper guidance, do the installation on their own after consulting an experienced technician for the selection of equipment and the points to watch out for when connecting the equipment.

However, the voltages and currents in a photovoltaic system are high and guarantee risks both for the destruction of the equipment with a wrong connection and against the physical integrity of the person involved with the equipment.

In any case, it is recommended to entrust the installation of the equipment to an experienced installer with knowledge of autonomous systems.

To properly size a system we need to know the daily consumption in Kwh, the use of the system within 24 hours, the sunshine of the area where the installation is made and the instantaneous power W of the devices that will be connected.

Inside Solar-shop.gr you will find the special form we created for you that will help you to easily calculate all the requirements and choose the right equipment so that you do not spend unnecessary money and the equipment meets your needs.

By choosing branded equipment you take advantage of the solvency of the manufacturers' warranty and their distribution and support network.

Low quality products from individual imports do not offer a proper guarantee and often not even technical support from their importers.

At Solar-shop.gr we are always at your disposal to help you in any problem that arises and provide you with pleasure which technical information you need both at the stage of product selection and after the sale as we do in our physical store Atomon - techmology year now building trusting relationships with our customers.