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.
ResidentialBackup Power
Townhouse, Kiambu
A compact backup design for a townhouse with limited roof space, keeping lighting, Wi-Fi, the fridge and the gate running during outages.
- Property type · illustrative
- Three-bedroom townhouse
- Location · illustrative
- Kiambu
- System type · illustrative
- Essential-load solar backup
- Category
- Residential, Backup Power
Stock photography used for illustration. Not images of this scenario.
Project overview
This project addresses a townhouse in a gated development where roof space is shared and limited. Rather than trying to power the whole home, the design focuses on a small set of essential loads that matter most during outages.
The challenge
A fictional scenario
In this fictional scenario, outages often happen in the evening and leave the family without lighting, internet or the electric gate. Only part of the roof can be used, and the residents' association requires panels to sit flush and out of view from the street.
Proposed system configuration
A small flush-mounted array on the rear roof slope feeds an inverter/charger and a compact battery supplying an essential-loads board. The battery also charges from the grid when solar output is low, so it is ready for evening outages.
Installation considerations
- Panel layout agreed in advance to meet the development's guidelines on visibility.
- Essential circuits moved to a new sub-board next to the main distribution board.
- Battery and inverter wall-mounted in the garage, with ventilation and clearance.
- Grid charging scheduled so the battery is full before typical evening outages.
Illustrative outcome
What the design aims to achieve
- 01
Essential circuits are designed to stay powered through typical evening outages, within the battery's usable capacity.
- 02
The array is intended to offset part of daytime household consumption.
- 03
The family knows exactly which appliances are covered and which are not.
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.
More projects
Related projects
Detached family home
Family Home, Karen
Hybrid solar + battery · illustrative
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.
Professional services office
Small Office, Nakuru
Hybrid essential-load backup · illustrative
A hybrid backup design for a small office that needs computers, connectivity and lighting to stay available during outages.
Have a similar property or energy challenge?
Tell us how you use power, what matters most to you and what you’d like solar to do. We’ll talk you through the options in plain language. No technical knowledge needed.