Three-bedroom townhouse
Townhouse, Kiambu
Essential-load solar backup · illustrative
A compact backup design for a townhouse with limited roof space, keeping lighting, Wi-Fi, the fridge and the gate running during outages.
ResidentialBackup Power
Rural Home, Rift Valley
A solar and battery design for a rural farmhouse with an intermittent grid connection, focused on lighting, refrigeration and water pumping.
- Property type · illustrative
- Rural farmhouse
- Location · illustrative
- Rift Valley region
- System type · illustrative
- Solar backup with battery
- Category
- Residential, Backup Power
Stock photography used for illustration. Not images of this scenario.
Project overview
This project considers a rural farmhouse where grid supply is available but unreliable. The priority is keeping lighting, refrigeration, phone charging and a small water pump running, rather than powering every appliance in the house.
The challenge
A fictional scenario
In this fictional scenario, outages can last several hours and sometimes repeat over consecutive days. The household relies on a small petrol generator, which is costly to run and needs regular fuel trips. They want a quieter, lower-running-cost option for essential needs.
Proposed system configuration
A ground-mounted array on open land near the house feeds an inverter/charger and battery bank supplying an essential-loads board. The pump runs on a timer during peak sun hours to make the most of solar output. The generator is retained as a last resort for extended cloudy periods.
Installation considerations
- Ground-mount location chosen to avoid shading and allow cleaning access, with fencing to protect from livestock.
- Cable runs between the array and the house sized to limit voltage drop over the distance.
- Earthing and surge protection reviewed given the exposed rural location.
- Pump scheduled to run during the middle of the day to reduce battery use.
Illustrative outcome
What the design aims to achieve
- 01
Essential loads are designed to remain available during typical outages, within the limits of battery capacity and solar recharge.
- 02
Generator use is intended to be reserved for extended low-sun periods rather than every outage.
- 03
The household has simple guidance on which appliances to avoid running during long outages.
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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