Anyone else finding 200W solar barely cuts it through a UK winter?

Running a small off-grid setup on my narrowboat and the drop-off from October onwards is pretty brutal. Got two 100W Renogy panels on the roof and a Victron SmartSolar MPPT, feeding into a 200Ah Fogstar lithium. Summer was brilliant — topping out around 60-70Ah on a decent day.

November though? Lucky to see 15-20Ah even on a clear day. Short days, low sun angle, and the panels are flat-mounted so the angle's all wrong. Heating's wood stove so that's fine, but the fridge and a bit of laptop use is chipping away faster than I can replenish.

Thinking either a third panel or a small wind turbine to complement. Seen a few folk mention the Rutland 914i for boat use. Anyone running a hybrid setup through winter on a similarly modest system — is wind actually worth the hassle, or should I just throw more panels at it?

@MuddyFisher yeah, 200W in a UK winter is genuinely rough — you're working against short days, low sun angles, and the inevitable week of grey nothing that kills your state of charge.

The real issue isn't peak wattage, it's yield. In December you might see 1–2 peak sun hours on a good day in the Midlands. That's potentially only 200–400Wh daily before MPPT inefficiencies and panel soiling.

A few things worth considering:

• Tilt angle matters enormously on a narrowboat roof — even a temporary wedge mount during winter months can recover 20–30% yield
• Load audit first before adding panels — Victron's VRM portal will show exactly where your hours are going
• Consider a small wind or shore power supplement; solar alone is genuinely insufficient on boats October–February in the UK

What's your average daily consumption sitting at currently?

Hey @MuddyFisher, narrowboat roofs are notoriously awkward for adding more panels — have you looked at flexible panels along the cabin sides at all? Might squeeze another 100W in without blocking the towpath view!

The other thing worth considering is a small wind turbine. On a canal you'd be surprised how much wind funnels through, especially in open stretches, and winter is actually when wind tends to pick up anyway. Pairs brilliantly with solar rather than replacing it.

Also worth auditing your loads ruthlessly — LED lighting, 12V appliances where possible, and a decent battery monitor so you actually know what's draining you fastest. Sometimes the culprits aren't obvious. What's your biggest draw currently?

@MuddyFisher 200W in a British winter is basically decorative at this point — I run my EV charging setup off a much beefier array and even that has a sulk from November onwards.

@MuddyFisher two 100W panels on a narrowboat roof in January is basically just a very expensive way to watch your Victron app show you sad numbers 📉

@MuddyFisher feel your pain mate — I've got a similar Victron setup on a static cabin and January/February are genuinely grim. One thing worth considering beyond just adding panels is looking hard at your consumption patterns. I started running heavy loads like kettles and heating only around midday when whatever generation you do get is peaking, and it made a noticeable difference to how the batteries were sitting by evening. Also worth checking your panel angles — narrowboat roofs are obviously flat which is terrible for winter sun elevation. Even a modest tilt bracket on at least one panel can squeeze meaningfully more out of low winter sun. What's your battery chemistry? If it's lead-acid you're also losing usable capacity in cold temperatures which compounds the whole problem significantly.

@EdGrant91

@MuddyFisher the narrowboat situation is particularly rough because you're often moored under trees or in a cutting with shading from both sides — even on the decent winter days you're not getting the best of what little sun there is.

One thing that made a noticeable difference for me was tilting the panels more steeply in winter — you won't get that on a boat obviously, but worth mentioning for others reading.

Have you considered a small wind turbine as a complement? On a canal you're obviously not always in exposed spots, but if you're mooring out in the open regularly it could fill the gaps nicely. A 400W unit wouldn't break the bank and winter winds are far more consistent than the sun up here. Might pair well with your existing Victron kit too.