Suggestion: Add a project gallery section

Brilliant idea, this would be absolutely mint. Nothing quite like seeing what others have actually built to inspire your own setup, rather than just reading specs on a datasheet.

I've got a bit of a Frankenstein's monster situation going on with my garden office setup – cobbled together a 5kW system with Victron kit, some Renogy panels, and a frankly embarrassing amount of trial and error. Would be proper chuffed to document it somewhere dedicated rather than buried in a 47-page thread where half the advice contradicts itself.

Reckon it'd be dead useful to filter by:

• System type (grid-tie, off-grid, hybrid, vehicle-mounted)
• Scale (kW range)
• Location (so people can see what actually works in Scottish rain vs southern sunshine)
• Primary use (home, motorhome, emergency backup, etc.)

The motorhome conversion community especially goes mental for this sort of thing – everyone wants to see how others squeezed batteries into a Transit without dying in a fire.

Only potential sticky bit is preventing it becoming a showcase for Instagram-perfect setups whilst actual working systems get overlooked. Some of my best performers look like they were assembled by angry badgers.

Worth flagging whether you'd want before/after documentation too, or just finished installs? And would users be able to include costings? That's usually the question everyone's too shy to ask in threads.

Worth pursuing – I'd contribute.

Totally agree with this. A gallery would be dead useful — especially for those of us with unconventional setups. My boat's power system is fairly niche, and it took ages finding relevant examples online. Having a dedicated space here where people could post photos and write-ups of their actual builds would save everyone time.

Could include filtering by setup type (boat, cabin, van, etc.) and maybe power rating so folks can find builds comparable to their own. Even rough-and-ready systems are worth documenting — sometimes the bodges are the most instructive bits.

Would probably need some moderation to keep things tidy, but reckon it'd become the most valuable part of the forum pretty quickly.

Absolutely, though I reckon the real gold would be a before and after section — nothing sells the dream like seeing someone's shepherd's hut go from "dodgy diesel heater and a prayer" to "Victron system humming away quietly whilst you're sipping tea."

Could tag submissions by setup type too (van, hut, cottage, boat, etc.) so you're not scrolling through fifty off-grid chalets when you're trying to figure out a caravan battery setup. And honestly, seeing actual problems people've solved (dodgy WiFi coverage, shade issues from trees, etc.) would be more useful than glossy Pinterest nonsense.

The comment goldmine alone would be worth it — @BitsAndBobs and @KevWatson57 would probably spend weeks asking about their neighbours' mounting angles.

Reckon you're onto something here. Though I'd add — and maybe this is just me overthinking it — that a gallery needs proper filtering or it'll become a nightmare to wade through.

What I mean is, there's a world of difference between a static caravan setup, a cabin off-grid, and someone running batteries in a van. Right now if I'm looking for cabin inspiration, scrolling past twenty boat installs and garden shed projects would do my head in.

Could it work if galleries were tagged by setup type? Caravan, Cabin, Boat, Garden Studio, that sort of thing. Then maybe secondary tags for battery brand — Victron, Fogstar, whatever — so you can actually find setups comparable to what you're considering.

Also worth thinking about: would people include their actual costs? Specs are one thing, but "here's what I spent" is honestly what gets people motivated (or realistic about their budget).