Off-grid solar across the North West

Not every site has a sensible grid connection. For businesses in rural locations, or anywhere bringing mains power in would be prohibitively expensive, an off-grid solar system can take you off the diesel generator entirely. The thing about off-grid is that there's no fallback - if the system is undersized you run out of power, and if it's oversized you've spent money you didn't need to. Getting it right means designing around your actual usage rather than guessing, and that needs an electrician walking the site, not a sales rep working from a quote tool.

Who runs the work

Renegade Solar is run by Ashley Merritt. He's been an electrician for around twenty years, with about ten of those on commercial projects including industrial sites such as the Jersey Recycling Centre. That commercial-electrician background matters specifically for off-grid work, where you're effectively designing a self-contained electrical system from scratch rather than tying into one that's already there.

In practice that means Ashley walks the site himself, looks at the actual loads, and designs around what's there rather than sending a salesperson out first. The person who quotes is the same person who installs and commissions, and the same person who comes back if anything needs adjusting later - off-grid systems live and die by their commissioning and tuning, so that continuity matters.

Where off-grid solar makes sense

The use cases we see most often are mobile catering operations that want to lose the diesel generator, agricultural buildings and equipment where running mains in would be uneconomic, and remote offices on sites where the grid connection cost would dwarf the running cost of a properly sized solar and battery system. The equation is the same in each case: how much you currently spend on generator fuel - or how much a grid connection would cost - against a one-time install of a system that runs for decades.

Why it stacks up financially

Off-grid solar removes the ongoing fuel cost and the noise, fumes and maintenance overhead of running a generator, and it lets you say something specific about how the site is powered. We've delivered several of these and can size systems to your actual power requirements rather than to whatever's on a brochure. The combination of solar panels and battery storage, properly sized to your usage, replaces a generator that runs on fuel you have to keep buying.

Components and sizing

Ashley fits DMEGC and Trina Vertex panels - both N-type modules that hold up well in our northern climate and come with long warranties. Battery sizing depends on your usage pattern; he works with Solax and AlphaESS, with capacities from 6kWh up to larger systems depending on the load. Roof or ground-mounted depending on what suits the site - see the ground-mounted page for that side of things.

How Ashley handles it

Ashley visits the site, assesses the load and power requirements, and designs a system to suit. He'll discuss your typical usage patterns, peak loads, and how much resilience you actually need. Installation is coordinated to suit the site - we work with local roofers and scaffolders where roof mounting is involved, and install ground-mounted systems where that's a better fit. After installation, the system is tested and commissioned to safety and regulatory standards, with electrical certification provided, and two years' routine maintenance is included.

Credentials

• MCS-certified installer (NAP-66870)
• NAPIT registered electrician with 20+ years' experience
• 9.85/10 on Checkatrade from 105+ verified reviews
• 5-year minimum warranty on all equipment, panels warranted up to 30 years

Coverage

Based in Prestwich, we serve off-grid sites across Greater Manchester and the wider North West.

Get in touch to discuss your off-grid solar requirements.