Garden office solar on the cheap — what's the minimum viable setup?

Finally pulling the trigger on getting my garden office off-grid (or at least reducing the bills). Don't need to run anything massive — just a laptop, monitor, a few LED lights, and maybe a small fan in summer. Reckon I'm looking at 200–300Wh a day max.

Been eyeing up a single 200W panel with a Renogy MPPT controller and a Fogstar 100Ah lithium. Should come in around £350–400 all in if I'm careful. Anyone actually running something similar or am I undersizing the battery?

Main worry is the rubbish UK winter — November through January I'm barely seeing 2 sun hours some days. Do I just accept I'll need a top-up from the mains occasionally, or is a second panel the smarter move over a bigger battery?

Great shout @CamperEwan! For that load you're honestly not looking at massive investment. I'd suggest a single 200W panel would cover you comfortably most of the year, paired with a decent 100Ah lithium battery (avoid lead-acid if you can stretch the budget — the usable capacity difference is significant).

One thing people often overlook is the MPPT controller — don't scrimp there, a decent Victron 75/15 will pay for itself in efficiency gains.

Ballpark your daily usage first though — laptop plus monitor is probably 80-100Wh for a working day, lights maybe another 20Wh. You've got plenty of headroom with that setup even on a gloomy British winter day... well, most days! 😄

Great thread! @Shaun1970 has the panel side covered, so I'd add — don't skimp on the charge controller. A decent MPPT over PWM makes a real difference in the UK where we're often dealing with low-light conditions rather than blazing sunshine. You'll squeeze noticeably more out of whatever panel you go with.

Also worth thinking about battery chemistry early on. A smaller LiFePO4 pack will serve you far better long-term than a bigger lead-acid equivalent, especially in a garden office where you don't want to be checking water levels or worrying about partial state-of-charge damage. Initial cost is higher but the maths usually works out over a few years.

For your loads @CamperEwan, I'd estimate you're looking at maybe 150-250Wh daily depending on hours — well within reach of a modest setup. 👍

Great advice from @Shaun1970 and @KangooSolar already. One thing I'd add — think carefully about your battery chemistry. A cheap sealed lead-acid will technically work but you'll only get maybe 50% usable capacity and they hate being left partially discharged, which is exactly what happens in a garden office over winter weekends. For a modest setup like yours @CamperEwan, a second-hand lithium leisure battery (or a small LiFePO4 if budget stretches) will serve you far better long-term. Also worth sticking a small consumer unit with an RCD in the office rather than just running bare connections — keeps it safe and tidy, and you'll thank yourself later!