Rural farmhouse
Rural Home, Rift Valley
Solar backup with battery · illustrative
A solar and battery design for a rural farmhouse with an intermittent grid connection, focused on lighting, refrigeration and water pumping.
ResidentialHybrid Systems
Family Home, Karen
A hybrid system design for a family home with a home office, designed to use daytime solar and keep essential circuits running through short outages.
- Property type · illustrative
- Detached family home
- Location · illustrative
- Karen, Nairobi
- System type · illustrative
- Hybrid solar + battery
- Category
- Residential, Hybrid Systems
Stock photography used for illustration. Not images of this scenario.
Project overview
This project explores a hybrid solar system for a four-bedroom family home where two adults work from home. The design brief focuses on using solar power during the day, carrying some of it into the evening, and keeping a defined set of essential circuits running during short grid interruptions.
The challenge
A fictional scenario
In this fictional scenario, the household experiences occasional short outages that disrupt video calls and reset the gate motor and Wi-Fi. Electricity use peaks in the evening when cooking, lighting and entertainment overlap. The family wants to reduce grid dependence without paying to back up the entire house, including the electric shower and oven.
Proposed system configuration
A rooftop array feeding a hybrid inverter, with a lithium iron phosphate battery supplying a dedicated essential-loads board. High-draw appliances remain on the grid-supplied board. The inverter is configured to prioritise solar, then battery, then grid.
Installation considerations
- Roof survey to confirm structural condition, orientation and shading from mature trees on the plot.
- Separation of essential circuits onto a new sub-board, so backed-up loads are clearly defined.
- Battery located in a ventilated, shaded utility area with clearance for maintenance.
- Commissioning includes setting battery reserve levels so some capacity is kept for outages.
Illustrative outcome
What the design aims to achieve
- 01
Daytime household and home-office loads are designed to run primarily on solar when sunlight is available.
- 02
Essential circuits are intended to stay powered through typical short outages, within the limits of the battery's usable capacity.
- 03
The family has a clear view of which appliances are and are not covered during an outage.
Outcomes describe design intent for a fictional scenario. They are not measured results or a guarantee of performance. Real-world results depend on actual consumption, weather, equipment and site conditions.
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