Off-grid

How it is used

Used for homes, farms, telecom towers, mountain huts and remote villages: off-grid solar, an off-grid system, living off-grid. The opposite is grid-connected or on-grid. Off-grid systems need batteries or backup, because there is no grid to fall back on.

Example sentences

1. The mountain station is off-grid and runs on solar panels and a small battery.

2. Off-grid solar kits have brought electricity to many remote villages.

Common collocations

• off-grid solar
• off-grid system
• live off-grid
• grid-connected
• on-grid

Related terms

• microgridA small local power network, for example on a campus, island or industrial site, with its own generation and storage, that can run connected to the main grid or on its own.
• battery storageStoring electricity in large rechargeable batteries so it can be released later, for example during the evening peak or when the grid needs fast support.
• solar panelA flat, framed unit made of many solar cells that turns sunlight directly into electricity. Many panels connected together form a solar array.
• gridThe network of power lines, substations and transformers that carries electricity from where it is produced to homes, businesses and factories.

More terms: Grid, Transmission and Distribution

• transmission line
• substation
• load
• peak demand
• power outage
• distribution network
• transformer
• blackout
• intermittency
• grid connection
• frequency
• high voltage