Independent clean-energy field guide
Build a power systemyou actually understand.
Practical guidance for solar, batteries and independent power systems—explained with clear assumptions, useful calculations and real engineering constraints.
Explore system blueprints Use the calculators Explore winter solar and battery limits Build my off-grid system Troubleshoot using existing indicators
Clear calculations Primary sources No hidden runtime tracking
Typical off-grid power flow Generation → storage → conversion → loads
Actual voltage, protection and conductor sizing depend on the equipment and installation. Use the guide and calculators for planning—not as a substitute for site-specific design.
Energy Playground · Interactive experiment
Can your solar-powered town survive sunset?
Make a prediction, run a tiny renewable city and use evidence to repair a blackout. Designed for curious beginners, families and students.
Build your renewable city →Start here
Three decisions shape almost every small power system.
01 Choose the system voltage Understand how 12V, 24V and 48V affect current, wire size and inverter design. 02 Plan the solar source Work through array geometry, cold-weather voltage, shading and charge-controller limits. 03 Size from the load Start with daily energy and peak demand before choosing batteries, panels or an inverter.
Featured blueprint
Daily load4.8 kWh
Battery10.24 kWh
Solar3.2 kW
Architecture48V
Illustrative design assumptions from the guide—not a universal equipment prescription.
Latest guides
Practical guides for real system decisions.
Less product-list noise, more explanation of what changes the design and why.
Ground-Mounted Solar Array Planning: Tilt, Row Spacing, Racking, and Trenching
Inverter Idle Power Calculator: No-Load Watts & Daily Wh
Motor Starting Current and Inverter Surge Capacity
Understanding LiFePO4 BMS Protection: Cell Imbalance, Cutoffs, and Recovery
How to Size a LiFePO4 Battery Bank: Energy, BMS Current, Surge, and Autonomy
Beyond solar
Wind and water can fill the gaps solar leaves.
Small wind and micro-hydro are highly site-dependent, but where the resource is real they can complement solar, diversify generation and reduce pressure on storage.
01 Small wind What a small wind turbine can actually produce
See how wind speed, rotor area, tower height and the Betz limit shape realistic output before you buy hardware.
02 Micro-hydro Estimate continuous power from head and flowWork from measured water flow and net head, then account for penstock and conversion losses before sizing the electrical system.
03 Hybrid generation Plan around the resource, not the equipment listCompare seasonal generation profiles and learn when wind or hydro can complement solar before simply adding more battery capacity.
System blueprints
See the whole power path, not just one component.
Blueprints connect daily loads, battery capacity, generation, inverter demand, protection and distribution into one understandable system.
Explore all blueprints → 01 Detached Shed Solar System: 24V Lighting, Power Tools, and Battery Tender A practical blueprint for electrifying a detached garden or utility shed. Sizing an 800W solar array, 24V 100Ah LiFePO4 battery, and pure sine wave inverter for tool charging. 02 Off-Grid Refrigerator Power: Daily Energy, Compressor Start, and AC vs DC Size off-grid refrigeration from the appliance's real daily energy use, compressor starting requirement, inverter idle loss, and the tradeoffs between AC and DC refrigerators. 03 48V Off-Grid Cabin: Worked Solar & Battery Blueprint Follow one complete off-grid cabin reference design from daily loads through battery autonomy, inverter current, 4S2P solar topology, cold Voc, MPPT limits, and a two-day poor-weather stress test. 04 Off-Grid Solar Well Pump System: AC Pumps, Starting Current, and Water Storage Plan an off-grid well-pump system by checking the actual motor data, inverter surge capability, pump controls, total dynamic head, and the option of storing water instead of electrical energy.
Browse by topic
Learn the system in pieces, then put it together.
SolarArrays, shading, wiring and MPPT sizing→ BatteriesLiFePO4, BMS, voltage and inverter demand→ BlueprintsCabins, sheds, workshops and pumps→ Remote powerStarlink, cameras, routers and telemetry→ Wind & hydroHead, flow, wind speed and hybrid generation→ CalculatorsBattery runtime, solar sizing and voltage drop→
How we work
Show the assumptions. Link the source. Say what is estimated.
Clean Power Guide uses published technical references, manufacturer documentation and transparent calculations. We distinguish engineering estimates from hands-on testing and correct material errors publicly.