Boeing 737 Off-grid Luxury Holiday Accommodation

Private chef, Andrew Mellon, first opted for PPT products when he purchased a 100+ powerpack for some emergency back-up power back in 2020. After relying on this to keep his phones charged and the lighting on inside his remote cottage, he got a taste for all that could be possible while living off grid.

During the Covid lockdown, Andrew found himself, like many of us, with some free time and conjured up a passion project by setting out to create the world’s first 737 jetliner-themed, off-grid luxury holiday accommodation and kitchen. After he acquired the integral galley section of the plane (for only £149!) we spoke with Andrew and began to curate a system that ensured he would be able to cater for all modern day electrical necessities.

“The galley can hold 1,000 items in just a 8ft by 4ft space, due to the amazing engineering of the unit – a super-efficient storage system.” – Andrew Mellon

Besides the main lighting, we needed to design a power system that would support the following loads:
Recharging points around the cabin, a gas combi boiler, underfloor heating, a TV and the all important fridge.

With all these loads in mind, we originally started to built a system that incorporated our Energier Pro 2000VA  however, after  further discussions with Andrew, we decided to opt for the Kinergier Pro 3000W (CK3.0M). The Kinergier has a far more features than the Energier Pro including; Faster recharging capabilities, larger and true 3000W 240V output, and even the ability to exceed this 3000W threshold when connected to grid. This enables his loads to be entirely powered via the bypass functionally whenever connected to grid or an external generator, plus his batteries will be charging simultaneously. Furthermore the larger AC inverter gives Andrew the ability to scale up his operation and run even more 240V loads in the future.

At the heart of any great system is a reliable battery bank, and Exide are the top of the market when it comes to AGM batteries. We specified two EP2100 batteries to provide a total storage capacity of 4200Wh to ensure he always has power to run his loads.

Being based in Banff, Scotland, we were well aware of the solar limitations Andrew may face, and when we ran solar reports for his area, we were not optimistic that he’d be able to rely entirely on solar for his recharging. To compensate for this we ensured Andrew would have a large battery bank to see him through the overcast days. Then, to maximise any PV available, we opted for two 40A MPPT charge controllers which also enable him to have a large solar array of up to 2,352W. This currently utilises two 200W panels to create a 400W array, which again means he has the ability to expand upon this in the future as he adds more and more to the off-grid accommodation. Overall this system was designed to be perfect off-grid and provides lots of room for Andrew to grow this project, without having to worry about any electrical bottlenecks.

Since using the system Andrew has been experiencing great results, both in energy performance and solar recharging, despite the unfavourable solar predictions.

“I am totally off grid, not connected to electricity at all, just two roof-mounted solar panels provide enough power.” – Andrew Mellon

We are very pleased to have provided Andrew with a clean energy solution that’s built to last and proud to have been a part of such a great project.

Everyone at PPT is excited to see all that Andrew achieves with this new venture and wish him all the best for the future.