Three Ways to Power a Camp — Which Topology Fits

The same set of modular cabins can be powered in three quite different shapes. First, stand-alone: each cabin carries its own storage and inverter, suited to scattered sites of three units or fewer, with no distribution and no operator, but no shared capacity and the highest cost per cabin. Second, a camp microgrid: one plant feeding a low-voltage network, suited to a concentrated camp of ten or more, where staggered peaks flatten the aggregate and engine utilisation is highest — at the price of distribution design and per-cabin metering. Third, layered supply: separate plants for the works area and the living area, because their profiles differ fundamentally, one continuous with heavy surges, the other double-peaked. The order of judgement: count the cabins and the maximum spacing, then ask whether anyone is on site, then whether works and living are mixed. As a rule of thumb, stand-alone wins below three cabins and the microgrid's unit cost overtakes it above ten; beyond roughly 300 metres, voltage drop and line losses become the binding constraint.