SunContract & SONCE install a hybrid energy system in Upper Slovenia
The off-grid mountain cottage is now, by the installed HES, self-sufficient and sustainable
The SunContract team and its partner SONCE have set up the first solar hybrid energy system in the heart of Gozd Martuljek, fully financed by the company. Gozd Martuljek is located in the Upper Carniola region of Slovenia.
What is a Solar Hybrid System?
Solar hybrid energy systems are systems that combine solar power from a photovoltaic source and store energy in battery systems for continuous operations. For high reliability, they can be combined with another power generating energy source. In the case of our client, the major source of energy is a solar power plant to produce electricity and a LiFePO4 battery for energy storage connected with a hybrid inverter. Our client’s previously owned diesel generator will only be used as an emergency backup in case of snow or other seldom activities with extraordinary energy demands.
An off-grid mountain cottage
As this is a cottage that does not have the possibility of connecting to the electricity grid, the owners had been obtaining its electricity by way of a diesel generator. However, going forward, they will use the generator only to fill in the gap between the present load and the actual generated power by the PV system.
Therefore, thanks to this new HES, the cottage will now be able to produce the energy needed for its operations naturally, from the sun — in a clean and silent way that is in harmony with the beautiful nature surroundings.
About the cottage
The cottage was originally built for the purpose of alpine farming — to store hay. However, 25 years ago, the owner — Ingo Robič turned it into a popular stop for all hikers who come to see the Martuljek waterfalls and other natural beauties of the forest.
Together with his family, Ingo began to write an exceptional story, one that revolves around improving our quality of life by living in harmony with nature.
Today, Ingo and his family have more than successfully combined agriculture and tourism by practising subsitence farming and then offering their guests the home grown natural foods that they produce.
During peak summer season, Ingo’s cottage has proven a hit for visitors, frequented by more than 1,000 guests daily.
Why they need the electricity?
With the amount of traffic coming by the cottage, Ingo decided he needed to take his natural living one step further and source the energy used for the operation of his cottage more sustainably and efficiently.
Prior to the installation of the HES, food for guests was cooked using fire and gas. And the diesel generator, paired with one solar module, was used to power some lights, the cash registers as well as the refrigerators.
Ingo felt that sourcing his electricity using a generator didn’t quite fit in with his ideals of living in harmony with nature. He also wasn’t fond of the noise pollution which was created by running the generator. Ingo wanted to create a memorable, serene experience for his guests who purposefully ventured into nature to seek rest, breathe in fresh air, and break away from the hustle and bustle of every day life.
Therefore, in the last couple of years, Ingo and his wife Barbara had been seeking out alternative ways to source their energy other than through their generator.
Why they chose us?
Some opportunities to switch from diesel generation presented themselves to Ingo and Barbara, but none of them were feasible in the end… Until word about their need for an alternative energy solution landed on the ears of the director of SunContract project and SONCE energija, Gregor Novak.
Gregor, being the solutions-oriented electrical engineer and leader that he is, offered to pay Ingo a visit and identify potential solutions for the off-grid, generator-based cottage.
After Gregor and the team visited the site and spoke with Ingo and Barbara, they quickly arrived at a solution which involved an installation of a small solar power plant with an island hybrid system. This means that the solar power plant would be connected to a battery and hybrid solar inverter as opposed to being connected to the grid. The HES would also enable switching to the generator in cases when the solar power plant will not be able to produce enough energy or some other emergency situation.
How the installation of the hybrid system was done?
In about 3 hours, our team installed an 8-solar-module solar power plant with a power of about 2 kWp on the smaller hayrack next to the cottage. The power plant will produce about 2 MWh of electricity annually.
Since the cottage is not connected to the electricity grid, the produced electricity will be collected in a 5 kWh battery storage. In addition to the battery, our team also installed a hybrid solar inverter with an electrical cabinet.
Enhanced energy sustainability and an improved quality of life
Prior to the construction of the HES, the generator ran every day for the operation of the cottage. However, with the new smart inverter device and hybrid system, it is envisaged that the generator will work rarely if there is no sunlight for extended periods.
According to calculations, the solar power plant should cover about 90% of all electricity needs at the cottage. This will also facilitate the operation of several devices at the same time, which enables a higher quality of food preparation, better service for visitors to the Log Cabin and an improved quality of life for Ingo, Barbara and their family.
SONCE energija is one of Slovenia’s leading companies for renewable energy, responsible for the installation and maintenance of more than 600 photovoltaic power plants nationwide. For 15 years, SONCE has maintained a reputation for quality, deep staff expertise, and a focus on building long-term relationships based on customer trust and incomparable transparency.
SONCE is also a partner of the SunContract Energy Marketplace in Slovenia, a platform which is offering an energy marketplace solution where renewable energy producers and energy consumers can meet and directly buy and sell energy with one another without intermediaries, all within the frameworks of existing legislations. Customers on the SunContract platform can also enquire about energy self-sufficiency products such as solar plants, heat pumps and more.
Both SunContract and SONCE pride themselves in being socially and ecologically responsible, with a vision of contributing towards sustainable growth and the overall improvement of societal and environmental wellbeing.
“Our team of skilled developers, engineers, designers, project managers and maintenance technicians optimize systems with a focus on improving efficiency and utility, adding value at every step of our customers’ energy experience. We wish Ingo and Barbara all the best with their business. And we support them and all business owners who choose to behave in a socially responsible and ecological manner, allowing us to preserve the environment today, for the generations of tomorrow.” — said Gregor Novak — CEO of SunContract.
