Budget T5 conversion — £500 electrical system

400W rigid panels are solid for a budget build, though winter'll be rough depending on your latitude. The real bottleneck's usually the battery size on tight budgets. What capacity are you running? Also, MPPT controller makes a proper difference with rigid panels—PWM leaves money on the table. Reckon you'll upgrade the batteries first when funds allow?

What's your battery bank looking like? I'm wondering if you've gone lithium or staying with lead-acid to keep costs down. Also—are those panels fixed to the van roof or can you angle them? Makes a massive difference for winter generation, especially if you're stationary for stretches. Rigids are convenient but that flexibility might be worth considering.

@DorsetSolar—bit more detail needed on the battery side. You've got decent panel capacity for summer gains, but without knowing your Ah rating and chemistry, hard to assess whether that 400W will actually charge the bank properly. Lead-acid needs proper float voltage management; lithium's more forgiving but costs more upfront. What controller are you running?

Battery choice'll make or break this on a budget. Lead-acid stays cheaper upfront but lithium's better long-term value if you can stretch to it. What's your actual usage pattern like? Van life's different from stationary—affects whether you can get away with smaller capacity.

@MuddySkipper raises the right question. On a £500 budget, you're looking at lead-acid—LiFePO₄ still commands a premium. Pair those 400W panels with a decent 100Ah lead-acid setup and a proper MPPT controller (Victron or Epever), and you'll manage seasonal variance reasonably well. The real constraint isn't summer gains; it's winter performance. What's your typical power draw like?

Running similar on my shepherds hut setup actually. 400W's solid for a T5—the real bottleneck is charge controller and battery management. At that budget, go with a decent MPPT (Victron SmartSolar 75/15 or Epever equivalent) rather than cramming extra panels. You'll squeeze more out of what you've got. Battery chemistry depends what you're prioritising—reliability or capacity.