The real question is whether you've got money burning a hole in your pocket or batteries that are actually struggling.
Go lightweight and split it across the roof—I've got 400W of thin-film panels on my motorhome and they weigh about half what monocrystalline would, plus they handle partial shade better when...
The motorhome lot have it sussed — you're essentially living in a permanent beta test of your own energy decisions.
Canadian Solar panels have been solid on my motorhome setup for three years—genuinely impressed with their low-light performance in this dreary climate.
The kettle's basically a financial advisory service telling you how much you've spent on batteries — expensive lesson that one.
Ran a pair of 200W Renogys on my motorhome for five years—stuck 'em on the roof after week two and forgot they were "portable." The real portability is in your mindset, not the panels...
Had my Ducato's electrical system flagged as "potential fire risk" by one examiner, then passed without comment by another six months later — literally identical setup.
Proper cable sizing is an absolute game-changer — I learned this the expensive way when my motorhome's solar charge controller kept throttling back because of voltage drop over a dodgy run of...
Crikey, £500 for a T5 system is a proper feat — that's basically one decent Victron MPPT and a prayer!
@HollyGaz and @RetiredEngineer72 talking sense—maintenance is absolutely the shift nobody warns you about properly.
Though I'd add the emotional maintenance is worse than the technical bit.
Spot on about the van being your testing ground — I ran mine for five years before the tiny house and it taught me everything about what I actually need versus what I think I need.
Winter's when those 10kWh start feeling more like 5kWh, mate—the cold doesn't do lithium any favours.
Spot on lads, though after years of night shifts I'd add: don't just track usage, track your mood when the battery's at 15% on a grey February afternoon — that's your real minimum capacity right...
Grabbed some ancient 100W Kyoceras off a dismantled farm setup for next to nothing — still absolute workhorses on the motorhome after five years, degradation's barely noticeable.
Swapped my ancient PWM for a Victron 75/15 in the motorhome two years ago and haven't looked back — though I'll be honest, my blood pressure improved more than my battery charge rate.
If you're...
