Statement of Project Requirements By Rich Williams, AGB

In that regard, I would like to be clear about the goals that need to be achieved in that design:

• The ultimate goal of the project is to disconnect from the grid entirely.  We don't know that we can do that initially as we can't accurately predict the energy demands of the home.  We need to establish a history of energy usage and peak demands before we know exactly what is required to disconnect from the grid.
  
• We do not want conventional net-metering, but rather attempt to run off production of electricity from our on-site PV and wind turbine, as well as a battery storage system.  The grid would be the “backup”, not primary source of energy.
  
• The targets on renewables are 30kW of PV and a 2.2kW wind generator (installed by Windsun Energy Systems)
  
• We want to look at all possible battery solutions that are available, not just lead-acid batteries.  This would include both Nickel-Iron and Lithium Ion (i.e. the Tesla / Solar City storage system.)
  
• We are limited for battery space, so that needs to be taken into consideration not just for what is targeted for initial installation but also for increasing storage size in future if required.
  
• We are starting off with a PV System Size and Battery Storage System Size, but need to be able to expand our systems sizing if we establish a usage history which requires expansion in order to achieve the goal of eventual grid disconnection.  Note again:  The system must be designed to incorporate future expansion of production and storage.