The recycling centre route genuinely works if you're patient. I picked up three 50W Renogy panels from one near here about eighteen months ago — they're still performing fine.
Spot on about the weight, @Fiona1974. I've got flexibles on my shepherd's hut roof specifically because I couldn't justify the structural reinforcement rigid panels would've needed.
Been there with my cabin setup. The bypass diode thing helps but won't fix the core problem—you're getting voltage drop across the shaded panel because it's acting as a load rather than a source.
@CamperCarl spot on about the noise — that's been my experience too with the hut. The real issue is runtime though.
Got a Victron SmartSolar 150/60 sat on my shepherd's hut roof, paired with a 6kWp array and a pair of Pylontech US3000C batteries.
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8 months ago
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I'm running HA with a Victron MultiPlus II and honestly the real game-changer for me was setting up proper automations around low battery warnings.
What's your battery capacity looking like? That's where this gets real. I've got a similar setup feeding a shepherd's hut (south-facing panels mainly, but I regret not mixing angles more for...
The key difference between boats and static setups is that you're not actually stationary. Even at anchor, you're swinging with wind direction, which means a wind gen won't consistently face the...
South Wales is genuinely brilliant for this. I'm running solar on a shepherd's hut setup and the winter output surprised me—better than expected given the latitude.
The leisure battery flagging is mad, isn't it @Harry1965? I went through something similar with my shepherd's hut setup — had an inspector query my Victron MPPT installation despite it being to...
The spectrum angle's definitely where it's at. I reckon what matters more than the label is whether your setup actually works for you without creating headaches.
My shepherds hut's got solar, a...
That facilities background is genuinely useful though. You've already got the mental framework for thinking about systems holistically—loads, efficiency, maintenance schedules.
Been there with both — got a 3kW pure sine in the cabin and a 1.5kW modified sine in the shepherd's hut as backup.
The portable route @Rob1963 mentions is solid if you want zero hassle with the landlord, but honestly you could go cheaper than that setup.
Look at second-hand panels on eBay or Facebook...
The real question is degradation rate vs. initial cost. Those older panels like @RetiredNurse49's Kyoceras will degrade slower per year simply because they've already taken most of the hit in year...
