Neometrix / Field Power Systems / Hybrid Solar-Battery-Generator Power System / NMX-HSB-34

NMX-HSB-34 · ENGINEERED-TO-ORDER CLASS — SOLAR FIRST · BATTERY NEXT · GENERATOR LAST

Hybrid Solar-Battery-Generator Power System. A generator that idles is the most expensive way to make electricity.

Name: Hybrid Solar-Battery-Generator Power System
SKU: NMX-HSB-34

A remote site draws far less power, for far more of the day, than the generator that serves it was chosen for. Run at that light load, a generator wastes fuel, wears faster and needs more fuel brought in.

So the hybrid works the other way round: solar takes the day, the battery carries the night, and the generator runs only when it must, at a good load, and then stops.

Discuss a power system Capability note (PDF)

A hybrid power installation on level ground: a tilted solar array on a steel frame, a grey weatherproof equipment enclosure joined to it by armoured cables, and a diesel generator set under a plain canopy, and no people

Fig · 01 — A hybrid power system on level ground: a solar array on its frame, a weatherproof equipment enclosure, and a generator set under its canopy — illustrative render.

The day

solar firstserves the load and charges the battery

The night

the batteryquiet, with the generator off

The generator

last, at a good loadstarted when needed, then stopped

The brain

energy managerchooses the source, protects the battery

Status

engineered to orderno unit yet delivered

ISO 9001ISO 14001IEC 62548 PV array referenceIEC 62109-1 inverter safety referenceISO 8528 generating set reference

Overview

Why the way the sources are used matters more than how big any of them is.

Because the same three components, used in the wrong order, are just a wasteful generator with extras attached.

Fig · 02 — The system in one picture: the three sources feed the energy manager, which serves the site's load, with the weatherproof enclosure around the sources and remote monitoring behind the manager.

The best hour for a generator is the one it is not running, and the second best is the one when it is working hard.

What the system is actually for

It gives a remote site or post with no grid the power it needs, day and night, for months at a time, while bringing in as little fuel as possible. The loads are the ordinary ones: communications, sensors, lighting and a small living space.

Why a generator alone is wasteful

At the light load such a site really draws, a generator burns more fuel for each unit of electricity it makes. An engine run lightly for long periods can also foul, because unburnt fuel passes into the exhaust. Good practice is to run a generator at a good load, not a small one.

Why the battery is the enabling part

The battery stores energy, so the generator can run at a good load to charge it and then stop. Between those runs, the battery carries the load in silence. Without it, the generator has to follow the load, however small.

Why solar takes the day

A solar array serves the daytime load and charges the battery, which cuts the hours the generator runs. But it cannot serve the night or a long overcast spell, so it is never the whole answer.

Why cold, altitude and weather set the size

Cold cuts battery capacity, and lithium iron phosphate cells are damaged if they are charged below freezing without being warmed first. A generator loses output with altitude and heat. A long overcast spell is when the generator earns its place. So the system is sized for the worst conditions of the site, not the average.

Why the energy manager is the real product

It applies one rule: solar first, battery next, generator last and only at a good load. It also protects the battery from deep discharge, cold charging and overload. Without it, the parts are just parts.

The day

Sense, solar, battery, generator, charge and stop, protect.

Six steps, and the two that make it a hybrid are the last resort: the generator starts late, and it stops as soon as its work is done.

FIG · 02HYBRID SOLAR-BATTERY-GENERATOR POWER SYSTEM · SENSE / SOLAR / BATTERY / GENERATOR / CHARGE & STOP / PROTECT — THE GENERATOR RUNS LATE, WELL LOADED, THEN STOPS

The step people underrate is the stopping. A generator left running after the battery is full is the same waste the hybrid exists to remove.

Fig · 03 — The same system in three conditions: on a sunny day the solar array feeds the load and charges the battery; at night the battery feeds the load; in a long overcast spell the generator runs to feed the load and charge the battery — a drawing of the idea, with no values.

1 · Sense

The energy manager reads the load, the sun and the state of the battery, and decides which source should serve.

2 · Solar

The array serves the load first, and whatever it does not need goes to charge the battery.

3 · Battery

The battery covers the rest of the load, and all of the night, without a sound from the generator.

4 · Generator

Only when the battery needs it, the generator is started, and it is run at a good load rather than at the load of the site.

5 · Charge & stop

The generator charges the battery hard and is then shut down, so that it never idles.

6 · Protect

Limits and alarms guard the battery against deep discharge, cold charging and overload, and the load against a fault.

Work content

What the system contains, element by element.

Read it as a checklist: a system missing a row will buy that row back later, usually in fuel, and usually at a site where fuel is the hardest thing to bring.

A weatherproof grey steel equipment cabinet with two closed doors, a louvred ventilation panel, a sun shield and armoured cables entering from below on a steel base frame, and no people

Fig · 04 — The equipment enclosure: a weatherproof grey steel cabinet with louvred ventilation, closed doors and armoured cables entering from below — illustrative render.

Element	What it does	What matters
Solar array & mounting	serves the day and charges the battery	mounted to resist wind and shed snow
Battery bank	stores the energy	a chemistry chosen for the site's cold
Battery management	guards every cell	no deep discharge and no cold charging
Battery thermal management	keeps the battery in its safe range	warmed before it is charged in the cold
Inverter & charger	make clean AC and charge the battery	safe by design, to the inverter safety standard
Solar charge controllers	bring array power to the battery	matched to the array and the battery
Generator set	the last-resort source	existing or supplied, and derated for altitude
Generator start & stop control	starts and stops the generator on its own	started late and stopped when the battery is charged
Energy manager	decides which source serves the load	solar first, battery next, generator last
Distribution & protection	share power safely between the loads	every circuit protected
Earthing & lightning protection	protect people and equipment	exposed sites need it most
Enclosure	houses the electronics and the battery	weatherproof, dust-proof and transportable
Monitoring & remote alarms	report battery, fuel and faults	seen before it becomes an outage
Testing & documentation	prove the system before handover	on a real load, with records

The element that decides whether the hybrid saves fuel is not a machine. It is the energy manager. A hybrid whose generator starts at the wrong time is only a generator with an expensive battery attached.

Fig · 05 — One system, three conditions it is sized against: cold, altitude and a long overcast spell.

Full specification — expand

System	A solar array on a wind-resistant mounting; a battery bank with battery management and thermal management; an inverter and charger and solar charge controllers; a generator set, existing or supplied, with automatic start and stop; an energy manager; distribution and protection, earthing and lightning protection; a weatherproof, dust-proof and transportable enclosure; monitoring and remote alarms; and testing and documentation before handover
The One Idea	A generator that idles is the most expensive way to make electricity, so the battery does the quiet work and the generator runs late, at a good load, and then stops
Why the Generator Alone Wastes	At the light load a remote site really draws, a generator burns more fuel for every unit of electricity, and an engine run lightly for long periods can foul as unburnt fuel passes to the exhaust
Why the Battery	The battery stores the energy, so the generator can run at a good load to charge it and then stop, while the battery carries the load silently between runs
Why Solar	Solar serves the daytime load and charges the battery, which cuts the hours the generator runs, but it cannot serve the night or a long overcast spell, so it is never the whole answer
Why the Size	Cold reduces battery capacity and lithium iron phosphate cells must not be charged below freezing without warming, generators lose output with altitude and heat, and a long overcast spell is when the generator earns its place, so the system is sized for the worst conditions of the site, not the average
Why the Manager	The energy manager applies one rule, solar first, battery next, generator last and only at a good load, and protects the battery from deep discharge, cold charging and overload
Standards	IEC 62548 for photovoltaic arrays, IEC 62109-1 for the safety of inverters, ISO 8528 for generating sets, and ISO 9001 are the public references this class is designed against. Acceptance of the finished system rests with the customer and their inspection authority
Configurations	A retrofit unit that adds a battery and an energy manager to an existing generator, a hybrid system with solar, battery and generator, and a network of sites with remote monitoring
Scope Boundary	This is the solar, battery and generator hybrid, where the generator is kept but used sparingly. It is not a fuel-cell system (see fuel-cell hybrid power system), not a frequency converter or shore power supply (see frequency converter and shore power supply system) and not a battery charger for a berthed vessel (see mobile rectifier and battery charger unit)
Status	Neometrix engineers hybrid solar-battery-generator power systems to order, and no delivered hybrid solar-battery-generator power system is claimed.

Configurations

One rule, three ways to supply the system.

Solar first, battery next and generator last is shared. What changes is how much of the system is new, and how many sites it serves.

Retrofit unit

A battery for the generator you have

A battery and an energy manager added to a generator the site already runs, so that it works only at a good load and stops.

Hybrid system

Solar, battery and generator as one

The solar array, battery, generator and energy manager engineered as a single system in a weatherproof enclosure.

Network of sites

Many sites, one remote view

Several hybrid sites with remote monitoring, so that alarms, fuel and battery state can be seen from one place.

Fig · 06 — Three ways to supply the system, one rule: a retrofit unit, a hybrid system, or a network of sites.

And the part that is not a component at all, yet decides all three: the sizing study — the written case for how big the array, the battery and the generator must be to carry the load through the worst spell at the site.

Where it is used

Wherever the power is needed and the fuel is hard to bring.

The common thread is a site that is far from a grid, small in its demand and difficult to resupply.

Remote posts & camps

Where a few loads run all day and night, and every litre of fuel has to be carried in.

Sites where fuel is hard to bring

Where the road is long, closed for part of the year, or a risk in itself.

Quiet hours

Where a generator running through the night is a noise and a signature that the site would rather not have.

Upgrading an existing supply

Where a generator is already in place, and a battery and an energy manager can change how it is used.

FAQ

Common questions.

Longer answers, for readers who want the reasoning.

Q · 01 Why is a generator wasteful at the light loads a remote site draws?

Because a diesel engine is most efficient when it is working hard and least efficient when it is barely working. A remote site usually draws a small, steady load, far below the rating of the generator chosen to cover its peaks. Run at that light load, the generator burns more fuel for each unit of electricity it makes. An engine run lightly for long periods can also foul: unburnt fuel passes into the exhaust, a condition often called wet stacking, and the engine needs more maintenance as a result. Published guidance on hybrid systems says the same thing from the other side: the generator should be run in its good load range, and kept off the rest of the time. This page states no fuel saving, because the saving depends on the site, its load and its generator, and is worked out in the sizing study, not promised on a page.

Q · 02 What does the battery do that the generator cannot?

It separates when the energy is made from when it is used. A generator has to make electricity at the moment it is wanted, so it has to follow the load, however small. A battery stores energy, so the generator can run at a good load for a short time, charge the battery, and then stop. Between those runs the battery carries the load, in silence, with no fuel burned. The battery also smooths peaks that would otherwise force a bigger generator to be fitted, and it can start the generator when it is needed. The trade is that the battery has its own limits: it must not be discharged too deeply or charged when it is too cold, and it loses capacity in the cold. The energy manager exists to respect those limits.

Q · 03 How much of the job can solar do?

Some of it, and never all of it. A solar array serves the load while the sun is up and charges the battery with what is left over, which cuts the hours the generator has to run. But it cannot serve the night, and it cannot serve a long overcast spell or a heavy snowfall on the array. How much it contributes depends on the sun at the site, the season, the load and how the array is mounted and kept clear. So solar is the first source the energy manager uses, and the generator is the last, and between them the battery carries what solar cannot. This page states no share of the load that solar will cover, because it depends on the site and is set in the sizing study.

Q · 04 How do cold and altitude change the design?

In three ways, and all of them push the size up. Cold reduces the capacity a battery can deliver, and lithium iron phosphate cells are permanently damaged if they are charged below freezing, so the battery has to be warmed before it is charged, and its thermal management is part of the design. Altitude reduces the output of a generator, because the air is thinner and the engine makes less power, and heat reduces it further, so the generator is derated for the site. And a long overcast spell is exactly when the sun fails and the generator must carry the load. So the system is sized for the worst conditions the site will see, not for the average day. This page states no figures for any of them, because they belong to a particular site and are set in the sizing study.

Q · 05 Is this the same as the fuel-cell hybrid power page, or the converter and charger pages?

No, and the differences are worth stating precisely. The fuel-cell hybrid power system page describes a fuel cell and battery hybrid that runs on supplied hydrogen, for near-silent, low-signature power; it mentions solar and a generator only as optional extra inputs. This page describes a different primary technology: solar, battery and generator, where the generator is kept but used sparingly. The frequency converter and shore power supply system page is about converting power between frequencies and supplying ships and aircraft from the shore, not about making it. The mobile rectifier and battery charger unit page is a large DC power source that charges battery banks. This page does not replace any of them, and it does not claim what they claim a second time.

Q · 06 Has Neometrix built one of these?

We would rather answer this plainly than let a page imply otherwise. Neometrix engineers hybrid solar-battery-generator power systems to order, and no delivered hybrid solar-battery-generator power system is claimed. What stands behind the offer is adjacent: Neometrix engineers the integration of a hybrid power system with its battery, power electronics, controls and rugged enclosure (see the fuel-cell hybrid power system page) and the battery-charging power electronics that a large DC source needs (see the mobile rectifier and battery charger unit page). The solar modules, battery cells, inverters and generator are proven catalogue items and are chosen with the customer, not invented. What Neometrix engineers is the sizing, the energy management, the protection, the enclosure and the testing. So the honest position is that the system is engineered to order, the neighbouring disciplines are in the building, and the first system of this exact kind will be built around a customer's load and site rather than lifted off a shelf.

Q · 07 Which standards apply, and who decides the size?

IEC 62548 is the public reference for the design of photovoltaic arrays, IEC 62109-1 is the public reference for the safety of the inverters that connect them to AC loads, and ISO 8528 is the public reference for generating sets. None of them, on its own, sets how big the array, the battery or the generator must be for a particular site: that comes from the load, the climate and altitude of the site, the days of autonomy the customer needs, and the customer's own specification, and it is not printed generically on a page like this one. Acceptance of the finished system, including its load test before handover, rests with the customer and whatever inspection authority they name.

Q · 08 What do you need from us to quote?

Six things, and most of them describe the site rather than the system. First, the load: what runs, and when it runs, through the day and the night. Second, the site: its climate, its altitude, the sun it gets, how cold it becomes, and how it is reached. Third, the generator: whether one is already in place, and what it is. Fourth, the autonomy: how long the site must run on its own, and how often fuel can be brought in. Fifth, the configuration: a retrofit unit, a hybrid system or a network of sites. Sixth, the installation: how the system is carried and where it stands. From that we come back with a sizing study you can check, a layout drawing, and a budgetary price.

The other power systems, and how they differ from this one.

Three neighbours in the same power family.

↗ The hydrogen alternative

Fuel-Cell Hybrid Power System

A fuel cell and battery hybrid on supplied hydrogen, for near-silent, low-signature field power.

↗ Converting power

Frequency Converter & Shore Power Supply System

Rotary and static frequency converters and shore power supply - converting and supplying power, not generating it.

↗ Charging at scale

Mobile Rectifier & Battery Charger Unit

A large mobile DC power source that charges battery banks or supplies DC shore power to a berthed vessel.

Browse all Neometrix product lines.

Get a quotation

Tell us the load, the site,
and the generator you already have.

The projects desk replies within two working days with a sizing study you can check, a layout drawing, and a budgetary quotation. Write to [email protected] or use the form.

Enquire — power system Capability sheet (PDF) +91 7777 876 876

ISO 9001 / 14001 ENGINEERED-TO-ORDER CLASS — HYBRID SOLAR-BATTERY-GENERATOR POWER SYSTEM SENSE · SOLAR · BATTERY · GENERATOR · CHARGE & STOP · PROTECT — THE GENERATOR RUNS LATE, WELL LOADED, THEN STOPS ENGINEERED IN NOIDA · INDIA