Off Grid power supply for under £4,000
Recent falls in the price of solar panels and other components has significantly reduced the cost of low impact off-grid living. This system includes 2 Kw of PV panels, a bank of batteries, a 3 Kw inverter, and MPPT solar charge controller.
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The capacity will be limited in winter months, but the user should have enough power for LED lights, ‘phone charging, and internet, all year round. The 3 Kw sine wave inverter is powerful enough to run anything that uses a 3 pin 13 amp plug, so long as there is charge in the batteries.
In the darkest months, 2 Kw of PV in South Wales should give an average of around 2 KwHrs of power daily, where the panels have a clear exposure to whatever sunshine is available. The year round average production is around 5 KwHrs, with mid summer maximum of up to 15 Kw Hrs per day.
An average household, with conventional level of electricity consumption, will use between 12 and 20 KwHrs per day, so this system is definitely for those who practice low impact living.
The battery bank has a capacity of 8 KwHrs, although in practice you don’t want to use more than 5 KwHrs to preserve battery life.