Simon Thompson

Not entirely sure what happened with the OP there, but I'll chip in anyway. Wiring diagrams are absolutely critical—get it wrong and you've got fire risk or dead batteries.

This is spot on. I've got similar experience with a boat setup and the seasonal swing is brutal. Summer you're generating surplus you don't need, winter you're scrambling. The thing people miss is...

Been there with my boat setup, and the distributed approach really does pay dividends once you've lived with it for a season or two.

The Cerbo's honestly been a lifesaver for me — particularly useful on the boat where I need to monitor everything remotely.

Mixed orientation works if you've thought it through properly, but I'd push back on the "more hassle" comment — depends entirely on your roof space and what you're actually trying to...

Mounted mine in a locker with ducting to outside air—critical if you're serious about 3kW. Inverters throttle themselves when hot, which defeats the purpose.

The VRM setup's solid, but what @MarinePhil's getting at is worth heeding—layering matters more than you'd think.

Got a small stream running past the mooring so I've been eyeing microhydro myself. Main issue I've found is the head drop — sounds dull but it's everything.