Renewable Residential

Residential Solar Electricity…

We sell complete packaged system as well as individual components for the do-it-yourselfer or to upgrade your existing system.

“Off Grid” Stand alone systems would be appropriate for any remote area install or where there is significant cost to installing standard grid power.
“Grid Tie” systems are best used for houses that already have electricity installed but are looking for a greener option. In Ontario, we have access to net-metering allowing us to return our
excess energy back inot the grid. This insures that we are getting the maximum value out of our renewable energy system as it can always run to full capacity. These systems may be installed with or without a battery backup. We highly recommend a battery backup system to ensure that you have electricity even when the grid goes down.
“Backup” systems are offered to those who just want to ensure that they won’t be completely in the dark in the event of a power failure. Systems can be generator or battery backup and may or may not include any charging resource (solar panels, wind generator) - depending on the users desires/requirements.
Solar Thermal water heating systems can be used to heat your domestic hot water, pool and even contribute to your space heating requirements.

Any of our systems can be custom designed to meet your requirements. Contact us for more information and pricing.

Designed for those that will be living off grid full time, this system provides you with the charging and storage that a typical house off grid will require.

The Outback and Xantrex inverters produce pure sine wave power, as good or better then the power that you would receive from the utility company. On top of good quality of power you can expect reliability from your power system that is better than the utility grid!

With power output warrantied for 25 years, the solar modules are an investment you can depend on to produce for a long, long time.

The batteries included in this system are Global-Yuasa 2 Volt cells. These batteries are tubular cells; this innovative design extends the life of batteries by reducing sulphation (the build up of sulphur crystals on the battery plates). Consequently, these batteries often last for 15-20 years. Batteries are the core of a renewable energy system and the Global Yuasa batteries will give your system the support the rest of the equipment needs to perform its best.

The inverter and most of the electrical components are built onto a steel back plate. This makes installation a snap and drastically reduces the amount of wiring needed to bring power to your home.

This system is designed to provide you with all the pieces that you will need. However, each site is specific and will require some modifications, please call us to customize this package for you.

These systems are not designed to handle any electrical heating loads because these loads demand so much power that they are not feasible for renewable energy systems.

Primary Power 1 - Outback 2.5 kW, 24 V

Inverter: 2.5 kW continuous, 6 kW surge capacity
Battery Storage: 20.5 kWh (800 Ah @ 24 V)
Solar Array: 0.7 kW at 24 V
Solar Power (summer peak): 3.5 kWh/day

Primary Power 2 - Xantrex 4 kW, 24 V

Inverter: 4 kW continuous, 10 kW surge capacity
Battery Storage: 30.7 kWh (1200 Ah @ 24 V)
Solar Array: 1 kW at 24 V
Solar Power (summer peak): 5.25 kWh/day

Primary Power 2 - Outback 3.5 kW, 24 V

Inverter: 3.5 kW continuous, 6 kW surge capacity
Battery Storage: 30.7 kWh (1200 Ah @ 24 V)
Solar Array: 1 kW at 24 V
Solar Power (summer peak): 5.25 kWh/day
plus up to 15% more power from the MX60 maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller!

Primary Power 2 - Outback w/ Generator

Inverter: 3.5 kW continuous, 6 kW surge capacity
Battery Storage: 30.7 kWh (1200 Ah @ 24 V)
Solar Array: 1 kW at 24 V
Solar Power (summer peak): 5.25 kWh/day
Backup Generator: 12 kW at 240 V Onan propane generator for backup during the winter and extended periods of overcast weather.

Primary Power 3 - Xantrex 5.5 kW, 48 V

Inverter: 5.5 kW continuous, 12.6 kW surge
Battery Storage: 47.6 kWh (930 Ah @ 48 V)
Solar Array: 1.4 kW at 48 V
Solar Power (summer peak): 7 kWh/day

A grid connected solar system is a great way to do your part for the environment, generating power on your roof will make you far more conscious of the power you are using, which can help remind you to turn off that extra light. Not to mention that producing your own power will reduce your electricity bill!

The Xantrex GT 2.5 kW inverter is capable of feeding up to 2500 watts of power back to the utility grid. The GT 2.5 includes some great monitoring software and an easy way to interface the computer with the inverter so that you can view and manipulate the power production data to chart your power production. This inverter carries a five (5) year warranty.

The system requires at least 195 volts which means that your solar panels must be wired in series to reach this voltage. The system can be expanded by adding more panels in series up to the 2500 watt maximum.

These systems are fairly new in Canada and you will have to get in touch with your local utility to find out if they will allow you to interconnect and what they would like to see in the way of protection and approvals.

Standard Protection included on the GT inverter:

AC Disconnect
DC Disconnect
PV Ground Fault Protection System
PV Combiner Board

Please Note: For safety reasons these systems willl not power your house in the case of a utility grid failure. In order to create a safe environment for workers to work on your power lines the inverter must not feed power to the utility grid. It is important to note that this system does not include any batteries nor can batteries be added to the system later. We do have battery based (backup power) grid tie systems available, contact us for details.

1.2kW Grid Intertie Direct

Inverter: up to 2.5 kW continuous
Battery Storage: none
Solar Array: 1.2 kW at 240 VDC
Solar Power (summer peak): 6.1 kWh/day

2.1kW Grid Intertie Direct

Inverter: up to 2.5 kW continuous
Battery Storage: none
Solar Array: 2.1 kW at 425 VDC
Solar Power (summer peak): 10.5 kWh/day

Active Energy Solutions carries a wide variety of backup electrical power systems. We can design a backup power system to run pretty much any load you can imagine. The price of these systems is directly related to the capacity. You must consider answers to these questions in order to pick the best backup solution:

* What loads do you want to be able to operate during an outage

* How long do you want those loads to be operated for?

Generators vs Battery/Inverter systems

There are similarities & differences between backup systems. Both solutions provide electricity when the grid power is unavailable. How they go about achieving this goal is vastly different.

A generator’s energy is stored in the fuel (Gasoline, Propane, Natural Gas, or Diesel) it burns. You must store enough fuel so that you can operate the generator for as long as the outage. Propane is an excellent fuel for storage. When the generator is on, 100% of the capacity of the system is available, if you need it or not. You will have a finite running time if you can not locate more fuel (which is possibly hard to find in an outage situation).

A battery/inverter system uses energy that is stored in batteries. Batteries are charged by a number of methods. In most backup systems, the grid charges the batteries and keeps them charged and will recharge them once the grid comes back online. One can use a generator to charge batteries, or use the sun, wind or falling water. One can even generate electricity by human power.

Batteries deliver to you the exact amount of power you require at that moment. The running time of the system is directly related to your loads. For instance, if you know the outage will be longer-term, you can only operate the most essential loads; whereas if you know the outage will only be brief you can use up much more power knowing the batteries will be charged up by the grid when it comes back online soon.

Some systems may be a generator only, some systems may be batteries only. Other systems may involve both generators and batteries, as well as add other charging sources such as wind or solar that can be used year-round.

Generators are good for larger power requirements. Generators require maintenance, as with all engines. A generator that will not start when you need it due to lack of maintenance is not very useful to you. Smaller generators may be portable, larger units are stationary or affixed to a trailer. Generators also require fuel - your generator is only as reliable as your fuel supply. Small portable generators can easily use as much fuel as your car has in it’s tank in a day.

If you desire a generator we recommend that you look towards a hardwired, stationary standby generator such as the Onan RS12000. This unit will easily operate a full home or small to medium sized office, including major appliances, furnaces, hot water, electric heat, etc. Fuel options include Propane (LPG) or Natural Gas (CNG). Options include automatic control/transfer panels for fast, automatic transfer to generator power.

Batteries are generally best suited to modest power loads, such as what would be found in a home or office if you remove the electrical heating loads. Battery based systems vary in size, from the smallest system to operate a few lights and a radio to larger systems that will operate most major appliances, except for heating loads. Battery/inverter systems can be located almost anywhere, does not require the storage of fuel, maintenance, oil changes, etc.

With the addition of other charging sources such as solar or wind, your battery power system can replenish itself and allow for extended outages. Remember, there are tens of thousands of people that live their daily lives with a solar system as their primary source of power. There’s no reason why you can’t do the same.

Portable Power Systems - manufactured by Xantrex .These systems are simple to operate and ready to go, ideal for simple backup power requirements. These are popular, economically prices power systems for people looking for a simple and portable solution.

Backup Power System 1 - 1.5 kW - 24 V

1.5 kW continuous, 3.5 kW surge capacity.
5.6 kWh (220 amp hours @ 24 Volt) battery storage capacity.

This system will run major appliances through a power outage. The system is capable of producing 1500 watts of continuous power and can surge up to 2400 watts to get larger motors going. Perfect for keeping an air compressor going or powering the necessary lights throughout a building these systems offer an excellent alternative to a generator. Backup generators have the dubious reputation of being neglected through the years without major power outages and consequently failing when they are needed.

With a built in automatic transfer switch you can expect seamless power for loads that you have put on the backup system. No interruption of power means no lost data, downtime or damage to your expensive equipment due to power surges associated with power outages.

These systems are custom-designed to supply the power you need. The main component is a Power Panel that consists of inverter, breakers, and safety disconnects. The systems are hardwired into your electrical system, often connected to a sub-panel that contains all the essential loads you wish to operate in the event of a power outage.

Maintenance on these systems is exceedingly simple, just a quick check of the battery water levels every six months is all that is required.

Please note: This inverter produces modified sine wave power that may not be suitable for sensitive electrical equipment such as high end sound equipment or sensitive electronic measuring devices. If your loads do include devices that will require top quality power please consider buying a true sine wave inverter.

Backup Power System 2 - 3.6kW - 24V

3.6 kW continuous, 7.5 kW surge capacity.
16.9 kWh (660 amp hours @ 24 Volt) battery storage capacity.

This system will operate similar loads to Backup System 1 but with a larger inverter capacity (3.6 kW), allowing you to run up to three large items at the same time. Washing machines, furnaces, microwaves, and water pumps can all be run without worry of overloading the inverter.

These systems are custom-designed to supply the power you need. The main component is a Power Panel that consists of an inverter, breakers, and safety disconnects. The systems are hardwired into your electrical system, often connected to a sub-panel that contains all the essential loads you wish to operate in the event of a power outage.

Maintenance on these systems is exceedingly simple, just a quick check of the battery water levels every six months is all that is required.

Backup Power System 3 - 5.5 kW - 48 V

5.5 kW continuous, 12.6 kW surge capacity.
22.5 kWh (440 amp hours @ 48 Volt) battery storage capacity.

This is a large and powerful system, with 5.5 kW of continuous power surging to 12.6 kW. This system will keep most loads in a home or small business operating (with the exception of large electric heater loads such as hot water tanks, electric stoves, and electric heaters). The pure sine wave output allows you to power the most sensitive electronics without a worry.

Maintenance on these systems is exceedingly simple, just a quick check of the battery water levels every six months is all that is required.

All of the Backup Power systems systems listed above require installation by a qualified professional. If you are comfortable with advanced wiring, you may be able to do this yourself. Otherwise , you can contact your local electrician. We include full step-by-step instructions for a successful installation. Installation will vary from a few hours to 1 day depending on the complexity of your system. The prefabricated power panels reduce installation time tremendously - there are three main connections - AC input (from power grid or generator); AC output (to sub panel or direct to loads) and the DC connection to the battery bank.

Renewable Residential

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