Off-Grid Commercial Solar: Powering a Racing Yard

For businesses and rural sites without a reliable connection to the electricity grid, generating power on-site can be more than a way to reduce energy costs. It can be fundamental to keeping the site running. That was the challenge at Eco-Power Racing, where Eco-Power Renewable Energy designed and installed a fully off-grid energy system for a new racing yard.

With no reliance on a grid connection, the site needed an energy system capable of supporting the day-to-day demands of a working racing facility. The result combines 66kWp of solar PV with 40kWh of battery storage and Sunsynk high-voltage technology, creating an independent energy supply built around the needs of the site.

Unlike a conventional grid-connected solar installation, an off-grid system has to consider what happens when solar generation and energy demand don't align. During daylight hours, the 66kWp solar PV array generates electricity that can be used across the racing yard. Battery storage provides somewhere for available energy to be stored for use when solar generation is lower, helping the site continue to operate beyond the hours when the panels are producing at their strongest. At the centre of the installation are Sunsynk high-voltage inverter and battery solutions, managing the flow of energy through the system.

The renewable energy installation formed part of a wider electrical fit-out completed by Eco-Power Renewable Energy, which also included the site's fire alarm and security systems.

Solar generation naturally changes throughout the day and across the seasons, while the electrical demands of a working site don't necessarily follow the same pattern. That's where battery storage becomes particularly important in an off-grid installation.

Instead of solar energy only being available to the site at the point it is generated, battery storage allows energy to be retained for use at another time. The inverter then plays a central role in managing the different parts of the energy system. For a site operating independently of the electricity grid, that relationship between generation, storage and consumption is an important part of system design.

Commercial solar isn't limited to factories, warehouses and office buildings. Farms, equestrian facilities and other rural businesses can have significant electricity requirements, while their location can also make access to the grid more challenging. In these environments, solar PV and battery storage can provide another way to approach the site's energy infrastructure. The Eco-Power Racing project demonstrates what that can look like in practice.

Rather than adding solar to an existing grid-connected building, renewable energy was incorporated into the electrical infrastructure of the new racing yard. The 66kWp solar array and 40kWh of battery storage now work together as part of the site's off-grid energy system. It's an unusual application, but one that demonstrates the flexibility of commercial solar and energy storage when a system is designed around the requirements of the site.

Eco-Power Renewable Energy documented the project, giving a closer look at the racing yard and the technology behind its off-grid energy system.

Watch the video below to see the installation in action.

From rural businesses to larger commercial sites, every project brings different demands for generation, storage and energy management.

Explore Sunsynk commercial solar and energy storage solutions or find your nearest Sunsynk distributor.