Built my own 16.5Kw system with 1820Ah @ 48v, need to go off grid due to rising costs.
PS - Hi all long time no type 
I have a couple of units I got to test viability. I charge a phone battery pack from one, which gives me three full charges of my phone a week and a solar pir security light.
Iāve looked at various solar battery systems from Jackery , Bluetti etc for when out at car shows and as a general āpower it using thisā when doing off jobs to be a little greener and offset my very large petrol engines in my cars! Havenāt made the leap yet though.
Good to see you and great that thereās an off gridder here again.
DT.
I used Solar quite extensively, for a week.
Then I had to get a flight home and develop an addiction to Immodium.
Many years ago I had this mad idea of a small wind powered generator in the back garden as it always seems to be āfreshā out there. Further investigation into it soon put that one to bed.
When the mortgage finished we ended up with about a Ā£9k windfall and Solar power stuff was on the mind, but a new gas boiler and double glazing were priorities.
I think, given my age, the cost of solar energy installation and the time until it actually pays for itself wouldnāt be beneficial to me.
I still remember the American member we had (username forgotten) . . Arizona area was it? . . he did well out of solar.
MAOJC ?
Daveā¦ āmind searching into cobwebb cornerāā¦
he runs/ran a complete setup out in the desert to power his house and sell into the grid iirc
I wonder how the efficiency of the panels is now they are 10+ years old
DT.
found it!
DT.
MAOJC
Yep thatās the very man TFW, cheers
I had some installed in June last year. Yup, believe it or not it we do sometimes get sun in Scotland 
14 panels (6k)and 2x5kW batteries (6k)- june through september was fulling charging and excess back into the grid for a few pennies (covered the standing charge easily enough).
Not much now, but we get the odd good day.
ROI should be around 7 years (down from 12 dues to increased energy prices).
Havent paid an energy bill since a token Ā£40 in August (moved to Octopus in June) and theyāve had me on a payment holiday.
large house and with heating being on weāve (Iāve) noticed the jump in costs - energy bill is currently Ā£1000 in debit. Probably closer to 2.5k come April, then it should be āfreeā electric for a few months, and little gas use (cooking)
Hi all good to see you again!
With the increased costs my payback will be with-in 3 years (Ā£525 a month is what i would be paying) then i have 5 to 7 years before i have to replace the batteries so my saving over 5 to 7 years will be somewhere between Ā£31500 to Ā£41000. I saved alot of money by doing it all myself the only down side is i can not sell it back to the grid but i can live with that.
I am lucky as i have a few barns i can put them on so there all facing different directions and at different angles so i can make most of any winter sun, its not for everybody but i try to do what i can the only problem is in the summer what to do with all the extra electric? (hot tub, air con, or 30+ PC crunchingā¦)
I also have a Marlec wind turbine on order (i already have one) so this will help in the dark wintery days and nights. There could be the odd day when i will need to run the genny but thatās life in the UK. This is my first full month off-grid so time will tell on how thing shape up.
Cheers Dave.
Cheers, back at ya buddy!
So its been a year and i only had to use 5 days generated power (late December) so happy, below is a screenshot of my thinngyā¦ 
Not much being generated @6am 
And for the last 12 months, only the Dec drop-off.
I got a quote for a system earlier. My house orientation isnāt ideal and I donāt have a massive roof area. The proposed install is 9 panels East, 4 panels West for 5.6 kW peak with 6.4 kWh batteries. Ā£10800 installed which is a bit more than I was hoping to spend, but the system is bigger too.
I still havenāt gone through the proposal in detail but their illustrated break even period of 13 years sounds a bit long. Been slacking on looking at it since I need roof repairs first and thatās currently underway.
Havenāt looked at others yet. This place I contacted as it was recommended by a good electrician in the area.
That sounds good and i am sure you will save some cash.
When itās sunny or bright you will be fine but with cloudy condictiones your solar output will drop by about 85/90% but as long as you understand what to expect you will be fine.
13 years, yer that doesnāt sound right to me i am looking at 4 years, i am sure there are some online calculators that you can put stuff in. I wil look some up over the weekend and post them here.
If you want to know anything, please let me know as I installed/setup all my gear I have learnt a lot and would be more than willing to help out if I can.
I only need a bout 12KWh per day but in the summer for about 6 weeks I can generate about 10x that, I have over-panelled a lot to try and compensate for winter and I think I nearly there.
Cheers Dave.
not using on that scale, but every so often I get a few āfreeā charges of my phone
I just have a tiny camping solar panel at home, behind a window (yes I know) but that will charge my USB battery packs in about a week and then I use them when out and about in the classic car that doesnāt have a working power socket
DT.
Hey every little 
and all that.
Guess they will come fitted to cars soon if not already
Solar calculators, try thesesā¦
PHOTOVOLTAIC GEOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION SYSTEM
and these belowā¦
Resources for Beginners.
- Energy Audit and system sizing tool:
- Beginners Summary of BMS Types, Functions and Features.
- 1P and 2P cell configurations for 12V, 24V & 48V LiFePO4 batteries:
- Beginners explanation of Top and Bottom Balancing
- Voltage Settings for BMS, Chargers and Loads
- Fuse/breaker sizing and placement guidelines:
- Grounding Made Simpler
- Basics for putting lugs on posts
Certainly no solar install but I do have 2 small Solar Panels for the Shed, probably 40watts/hr on a good day in peak position. Currently making a solar tracker device out of some junk to position optimally through the day in hope of more winter capacity only keeping a 12v 20Amp battery happy. But it looks after my shed fun and keeps the Battery power tools charged up. used an old Car Battery Charger/Tyre Pump/200watt mains outlet/Light multi unit so minimal hassle outside the orginal Solar panel purchase and changing to a more decent Victron charge controller.
Thats how it startsā¦ 
soon you be covering every bit of space with panels 
but keeping things charged all helps save a bit of cash and thatās always good.
Some of the stuff i useā¦
A few of theseā¦
SmartSolar MPPT RS - Victron Energy
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a couple of theseā¦
Inverter RS Smart - Victron Energy
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One of these,
GX Touch 50 & GX Touch 70 - Victron Energy & Cerbo GX - Victron Energy
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A shit load of theseā¦
RuuviTag Bluetooth Sensor