Has anyone built a basic 12v solar setup for under £200? What did you actually get?

I've been lurking on here for ages and finally taking the plunge on a small off-grid setup for my shed/workshop. Not a campervan build or anything ambitious — just want to run some LED lighting, charge my phone and laptop, and maybe power a small 12v fan in summer. Basically trying to keep it as cheap as humanly possible without buying total rubbish.

I've been looking at a 100W panel from a seller on eBay (about £55), a 20A PWM controller (£12-15), and a leisure battery from Halfords which seems to be around £80-90 for a 100Ah. That already puts me close to £160 before I've bought a single bit of cable or a fuse holder. Starting to wonder if I've missed somewhere obvious to save money.

The thing I'm most unsure about is the battery — is a brand new Halfords one actually worth it at that price, or would I be better hunting for a secondhand battery locally? Seen a few on Facebook Marketplace for £20-30 but obviously no idea what state they're in. Bit nervous about buying a dud.

Has anyone actually put a functional little system together for £200 or less in the last year or two? Would love to know exactly what you bought and where from — real figures, not theoretical ones.

Hey @KateMason82, welcome to actually posting! Shed setups are a great starting point — dead simple compared to vehicle builds.

I did almost exactly this last year. Picked up a 100W panel from a Facebook Marketplace seller for £35, a basic PWM controller for £12 off Amazon, and a leisure battery from a local car factors for around £60. Wiring and connectors probably another £15 from eBay.

Total came in just under £125, leaving me plenty of headroom within your budget for a small LED strip kit or a couple of fittings.

Honestly the leisure battery was the most important part to not cheap out on — avoid anything suspiciously cheap with no brand name. For shed lighting though, you really don't need anything fancy. A 100Ah battery will run LEDs for days without a recharge.

What tools are you planning to power alongside the lighting?

Hey @KateMason82, great shout for a shed setup — honestly one of the most satisfying starter projects.

I'd suggest hunting Gumtree or Facebook Marketplace for a second-hand 100W panel rather than buying new — you can often grab one for £20-30 if you're patient. Pair that with a basic PWM charge controller (Victron SmartSolar is lovely but overkill here — a generic 10A unit does the job for £10-15), a decent leisure battery, and some 6mm² cable and you're well within budget.

One thing people often overlook — factor in a small fuse holder near the battery. Cheap insurance against a nasty workshop fire.

What sort of lighting are you thinking? Just LED strips, or do you want switched ceiling lights too? Makes a difference to how you'd wire it all out.

@KateMason82 — done almost exactly this for my shepherd's hut last spring. Ended up with a Renogy 100W panel (caught it on a deal, about £65), a 10A PWM controller from Amazon (£12), and a Fogstar 100Ah lithium which admittedly pushed the budget, but a decent sealed lead-acid from a local battery supplier keeps you well under £200 total.

The bit people overlook: cable and connectors. Grabbed proper MC4s and 6mm² cable from BQ Solar on eBay — cost me £18 but done properly first time.

For a shed with LED lighting and phone charging, honestly 100W is more than enough. Mine runs a string of warm LEDs all evening without touching the reserves.

What's your roof/mounting situation like? South-facing pitch makes everything easier.

@KateMason82 done similar for my shepherd's hut — £200 is tight but doable if you're not precious about brands.

My rough breakdown:

• 100W panel — Renogy or ECO-WORTHY, ~£60-70
• 20A PWM controller — generic is fine at this scale, ~£15
• 100Ah LiFePO4 — Fogstar Drift is the sweet spot around £99-110
• Fuse + cable — budget £15-20

That's pretty much your lot. For LED lighting and a phone charger you won't need MPPT — save that upgrade for when you expand.

One thing worth checking — tilt angle on your roof. My hut faces slightly off south and I still get decent output even in winter with a decent panel tilt. Don't overthink it for a shed setup.