🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 ⚡ The River Exe Cafe experienced generator failures, leading to service disruptions. 01:01 🌞 They transitioned to a Victron Energy solar and lithium battery system to replace their noisy and costly generator. 02:58 💡 The diesel generator was unreliable, costly to maintain, and needed replacement every three years, causing power outages and financial losses. 04:58 📊 Exeter University assisted in researching and planning a sustainable energy project to reduce carbon footprint and noise. 09:00 🛠️ The installation included Victron Energy components, such as solar panels and lithium batteries, to provide stable power and reduce reliance on the generator.
@peterelder7425 Жыл бұрын
Love these videos of Victron success stories. Please keep them coming. Will definitely be visiting the cafe on my next visit to the UK.
@SolarYachtCompany Жыл бұрын
Next Summer in Berlin! We are building 3 floating SolarChargingStation in Berlin-Brandenburg. No Diesel-Generator. Just Solarenergy to charge boats on the water.
@Robulite5 ай бұрын
The quietness is probably the nicest benefit
@kd7alt Жыл бұрын
As a user of Victron equipment and installer. I'm impressed.
@johnabriggs6044 Жыл бұрын
Enjoyed what you have done for this river business with the details from the owner adding to the total package with the other alarm that can be viewed remotely and give you peace of mind as your tomorrow will be safe or you will know quickly of any problem. Great job Victron. I have a single solar drive way lighting system with your solar controller to allow me to monitor my system with no problems
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching John!
@georgeolusola7345 Жыл бұрын
So satisfying
@GreenEnergyGuyd Жыл бұрын
Great business, location and more importantly the renewable energy system is top notch. Well done Callidus
@davefroman4700 Жыл бұрын
Out in the middle of the channel like that? He should have some wind energy in the mix for when its not sunny. Couple of 2kw Wind turbines would do a lot for a system like this. Any excess energy could be used for heating.
@carlthor9126 күн бұрын
Because they spin fast (noise), they would have to be on the same pontoon as the genset.
@3DLL. Жыл бұрын
keep it up Victron you are the best in the business 👍
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Thats is very kind :-)
@TerenceKearns11 ай бұрын
I don't own any solar stuff and I'm not a technician but I really enjoyed this story and the video was awesome. The narrator sounds like a youtuber I've heard who does camera reviews and owns a camera store/rental place in the UK (I think). The motion graphics on the drone shots with the 3D camera tracking were a nice touch. Top stuff 👍
@jonnycoolg Жыл бұрын
Victron is the endgame of off grid
@markarca6360 Жыл бұрын
They are the gold standard.
@winchy1995 Жыл бұрын
Such a cool setup! I have Victron In my camper van very happy indeed! It's good equipment!
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Great to hear!
@Kosmonooit Жыл бұрын
Going to need a few more barges for a decent PV array, 6kWp seems a tad on the small side.
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
He has a lot more roof space first.
@PG-ji6vq6 ай бұрын
Great video
@BritishAnts Жыл бұрын
Excellent, love it all on display too! ❤
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
It's the 'right' thing to do obviously! lol
@davefroman4700 Жыл бұрын
@Victron_Energy really should start making a series of wind controllers. It is counter cyclical to solar. When you do not have one? You typically get more from the other. The wind is statistically stronger at night, during weather events and during the winter as well.
@petermartin3806 Жыл бұрын
My home town - and Victron kit as well - what a fantastic project, would love to see the VRM stats
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Have you been to the cafe? It's all on show in the cafe - I'm sure someone there would allow you to see the GX Touch etc!
@petermartin3806 Жыл бұрын
@VictronEnergyBV not yet, I have fitted all victron kit in my van, on VRM so will definitely have a look when there is availability for a table
@nickevans1698 Жыл бұрын
Nice Vlog Jono 👍🏼
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Thank you 🙌
@bernardgarrett3897 Жыл бұрын
I don't mean to be rude, but does it really need University resources? Surely the installer /distributor could have done the calculations? And Victron might have checked the calcs?
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
Callidus carried out the initial analysis and both outcomes were very similar.
@CentreforFutureCleanMobility Жыл бұрын
The reason Paul at River Exe Cafe reached out to the university for support is because taking a big financial step is risky and having the backing from the university gave him a lot of reassurance. The customisable tool designed by the University gave the cafe the ability to play with the scale of batteries and solar. The tool also looked at financial data and carbon savings, so it gave Paul a good indication on which options would be the most commercially viable for the cafe system. Paul worked with Centre for Future Clean Mobility at the University through the MBTC Project, this was a European funded project to allow the university to provide time and expertise to local businesses like River Exe Cafe that are looking towards decarbonisation.
@SabretoothBarnacle Жыл бұрын
Being from Exeter I recognised the thumbnail location straight away! Isn't there opportunity to mount an additional string on the side of the restaurant also so take advantage of the lower track of the sun in spring/autumn?
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
There is a lot of roof too. Baby steps, baby steps!
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
Hi yes we did talk to Paul about that and he may fit additional panels at a later date.
@SabretoothBarnacle Жыл бұрын
@@callidussolar2474 That's good to hear 👍🏻 is there just one string currently? (couldn't quite see the wiring options on the MPPT) if so, what impact does the chimney shading have on output?
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
@@SabretoothBarnacle because the café operates in the summer months. The Sun is relatively high, so the chimney offers very little in the way of shade.
@dinghyride Жыл бұрын
Very cool!
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching
@gjsxnobody75346 ай бұрын
seems there is a decent current there, why not have a hydro generation optoin as well, which would be 24hrs
@agw5425 Жыл бұрын
What amount of solar panels and batteries would give a 90+% chance of having all power the cafe needs at least from may to september? Is it open in the winter? Is/can the pv system be routed to first ensure fridges/freezers are powered and if there is power leftover run other things so the genny can be switched of when the cafe is not open? What changes to how things are done in the cafe would give the biggest energy savings without reducing the quality/results? Would double number of solar panels make it (mostly) generator independant or does it also require more batteries to do that? A follow up video would be nice to see it in operation after a fiew weeks and if you do expand the system.
@kimphilley621 Жыл бұрын
Sounds real nice in words and a very nice commercial for Victron Energy. I have been world cruising on my 40' sailboat for 13 yeaqrs and totally off grid. I mention that only to establish my experience based opinions. Indeed Victron equipment is what I currently use. Thing is there is just two of us aboard. If you take into account a number of things unmentioned in this video. You might have a completely different picture. This in my opinion is just a very expensive experiment that has not been logically costed out beforehand. I would bet this restaurant cannot operate entirely on solar power, stored in batteries and inverted from 12,24, or 48 volts to 240 because... 1.It rains and is cloudy much of the time in Exceter, hence making Solar undependable for the huge electrical load this Restaurant requires. Necessitating Generator backup. 2.The cost of all that kit would be very difficult to recoup without hefty government or other type grants. 3. He would have to at least change all of his cookers to Natural Gas, and possibly his refrigeration to some kind of DC power that could be derived from his batteries, so as not to loose the 10% power loss when the Victron Inverters turn the electricity to 240 volts. Problem is the size of the tanks for this would may not be allowed due to government safety rules for a public location.
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Of course this isn't going to return his investment overnight but Paul has done way more than most in his research, getting experts from Exeter University to analyse the restaurant and the solar yield locally for example. He would have to have a lot of solar and batteries to be completely off-grid, especially as you say in the dark, wet winter months - but that was never the plan. His install of Victron Energy equipment was to help and assist - not replace. The cost of fuel at the moment is high and Paul is already making huge savings due to the fact he doesn't have to run the generator 24/7. Secondly, Paul wanted to be able to leave the immediate area and not worry that the generator is going to go wrong at any moment and he would have to rush back. That has also gone, Paul has said, since this was recorded that he doesn't need to be on hand 24/7. His cookers are on gas already and have always been so. Thanks for taking the time for your reply.
@marcusjones10883 ай бұрын
What provisions have been designed to mitigate the possibility of thermal runaway in ageing lithium batteries. Ventilation , etc. This is in effect placing customers in a BESS box with the batteries under them. As marine engineer and commercial surveyor myself. I would not be this signing off. With batteries of even wet flood lead acid types to be in public areas. Under the cabin sole. (Floor)
@jamesaldous6268 Жыл бұрын
Had my static caravan changed to victron solar on 20th july as my fuel generator broke beyond repair can say I have all my bits and bobs on with out cutting out or worrying the victron app works well to
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Good to hear!
@andrewbradley4261 Жыл бұрын
Why only 6kW of PV ? Even using the installed 375w panels (low output), it looks like they could get another 8.25kW to give a total of 14.25kW. It also looks like a wind turbine would work well !
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
This is just the start for Paul to find his feet. He didn't want to run before he could walk!
@Raphael_Hofmann Жыл бұрын
Why not the whole roof area?
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
This is the first system for Paul so he wanted to take it a bit at a time. He is already talking with Callidus to add more panels.
@Raphael_Hofmann Жыл бұрын
@@VictronEnergyBV Very nice, I am sure, he will extend it 😀
@commuterbranchline8132 Жыл бұрын
Does any tidal turbine electrical generation technology exist that could be installed below the barge that could take advantage of the predictable strong tidal currents? This would have the potential of providing complete owed independence free from diesel generator noise, fumes and cost!?
@basspig Жыл бұрын
I would think you'd want to build out as much solar as possible and use every square foot of roof so that you can generate some energy on cloudy days. A 6 KW PV array won't generate enough power if it's raining.
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
Hi Yes we agree and we are looking that for phase 2.
@niceride Жыл бұрын
How do you manage cooling fan noise as the inverter/charge controller package is customer facing?
@matt455402 ай бұрын
It's a bar, the walls are literally 2 by 4 studs with a sheet of plywood. If you are the person sitting next to it you might notice it.
@craigr3066 ай бұрын
how was this system grounded ?
@VictronEnergyBV6 ай бұрын
The structure is grounded that sits in water, just like a boat.
@imval_tech Жыл бұрын
Great install, very cool use case! I'm wondering why the "remote" wires of the MPPT are extended, is there a remote shut off or was it to prevent the plug from being taken away?
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
Hi yes it was for remote shut off
@TRAVISGOLDIE Жыл бұрын
What are the details of the solar array ( for curiosity )
@markf1441 Жыл бұрын
A smart deal, really!
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
What can be smarter than taking the free energy from the sun to turn it into power!
@markf1441 Жыл бұрын
@@VictronEnergyBV I've seen motorhomes, farms, cabins in the middle of the mountains, yachts equipped with Victron, but I wouldn't have thought of a floating restaurant. Congratulations to the boss for the idea
@el_Contra Жыл бұрын
I know this is about energy but still I wonder how they deal with the "other" issues... such as sewage and garbage disposal etc....
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
All the waste and sewage is dealt with via Boat that comes and picks up and takes it back to Shore
@el_Contra Жыл бұрын
@@callidussolar2474 thanks
@shuhel02 Жыл бұрын
Where did they get the earth reference from?
@callidussolar2474 Жыл бұрын
River Ex café already had galvanic isolation, which was attached to the steel structure built in before we installed, this supplied fantastic earth readings when tested.
@klausschonfeld3293 Жыл бұрын
Better to be the best in technical fakts ,the Business comes from alone ? 😂
@polvincompoundsadmin54026 ай бұрын
TYPICAL UNIVERSITY taking months to do what a tech would do in an afternoon. Also, a tech would have had inbuilt redundancy by using two inverters, two solar MPPT's and more solar. The money saved by not engaging a University would have allowed double the solar too.
@VictronEnergyBV6 ай бұрын
The University work didn't cost the cafe owner anything.
@markmartinbattle5318 Жыл бұрын
why didn't they have a mix or lithium and sodium batteries. lithium isn't very eco friendly .
@peterelder7425 Жыл бұрын
Love these videos of Victron success stories. Please keep them coming. Will definitely be visiting the cafe on my next visit to the UK.
@VictronEnergyBV Жыл бұрын
Please do! It's a really nice cafe in a really nice place! Paul will be happy :-)