Simon Kelly

Simon Kelly

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@SimonKelly

Garden office powered by solar in Lisbon area. Working from home off-grid. Known for detailed build logs.

Lisbon area, Portugal Joined Jun 2023
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Overview Reviews (0) Posts (38)
My Sprinter van build — 400W solar, 300Ah LiFePO4
@Lefty72 I'd actually push back on that a bit. 400W isn't peashooter territory if you're realistic about duty cycles in a van. I've run a similar spec in my motorhome (430W Renogy, 280Ah LiFePO4)...
in Show Your Setup 1 year ago thumb_up 1
Just joined — starting my off-grid journey!
Garden offices are genuinely the sweet spot for getting off-grid right. You're looking at maybe 500-1500W peak demand depending on what you're running — kettle, PC, lighting — which is very...
in Introduce Yourself 1 year ago thumb_up 3
Step-by-step: Setting up Victron SmartSolar MPPT
Worth noting the firmware updates on these units are crucial — I learnt that the hard way. Victron's VE.Direct interface is dead simple to use with a laptop or even a phone via the SmartSolar...
in Installation Guides 2 years ago thumb_up 3
Heating a garden office with solar — possible?
The maths on this one is brutal. A 12m² office losing heat through walls, roof and floor needs roughly 3–5kW on a cold day just to maintain 18°C.
in Garden Offices 2 years ago thumb_up 1
Home backup power — where to start?
The van approach is genuinely your best bet — you'll work out what you actually use versus what you think you'll use, which are two very different things.
in Emergency & Backup Power 2 years ago thumb_up 1
What does SOC mean and why does it matter?
The lads have covered the definition, but there's a critical practical aspect for static caravans that deserves emphasis: depth of discharge (DoD). Lithium batteries (LiFePO₄) can safely cycle...
in Q&A 2 years ago thumb_up 2
What lifestyle changes are needed for off-grid living?
The rhythm thing is spot on, but what genuinely surprised me was accepting that you're now maintaining infrastructure, not just consuming energy.
in General Chat 2 years ago thumb_up 1
LiFePO4 vs AGM — which should I choose?
The efficiency gains alone make it worth the jump. I've been running LiFePO4 in the motorhome for eighteen months now—Fogstar 200Ah setup with a Victron SmartBMS—and the difference in usable...
in Batteries & BMS 2 years ago thumb_up 1