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Time for a little solar?

I've been contemplating buying a solar panel for a while.

Yes, that's right *a* solar panel, not a solar array or a complete rooftop solar installation -- just a single panel.

Why would I do that?

Well I can't afford even a modest solar installation but I would like some energy security that goes beyond hoping that the mains supply doesn't fail at some critical time.

Having a single 500W solar panel, a battery and an inverter may be sufficient for my needs.

I'm not looking to save money on my power bill -- a few KWH per day in mid summer probably won't make dent in a bill that constists of huge amounts of "fixed charges".

The idea is to have just enough power to run my computers, ONT and router even when the lights go off. It would also be nice to have some USB A and USB C outlets for charging phones, cameras, tablets and other modern conveniences.

In theory, I could stretch to keeping the fridge or freezer cold by running them for an hour or two per day in case of a civil emergency.

Then there's the fact that I just hate to think that huge amounts of energy are being delivered to my back yard every day and I'm not taking advantage of it.

It would also be a fun project to design and build an MPPT solar charge controller -- just for fun.

Another huge bonus would be that if I felt like driving out to the countryside for a day to fly my drones and RC models, having a ready supply of electricity with which to recharge the batteries these things use would be great. Throw the panel on the back of the ute and I'd have enough power to keep myself and half a dozen of my friends flying all day.

So I decided to look around at what's available.

In Australia, Bunnings has a good range of panels at very competitive prices but it seems that they don't offer them here in New Zealand. Why not?

Using the power of my GoogleFu I soon discovered that Trade Depot has solar gear at what seems like pretty good prices.

I'm tossing up between the 630W panel for $229 and the 450W panel for $179. Add a hundred bucks or so to build a suitable MPPT charger and to cover cables and the only other thing required is some form of battery.

For the back of the ute a cheap 12V lead acid battery will do the job just fine but for home storage I'd likely swing for some lithium or sodium-based options. Fortunately, AliExpress has a fantastic range of options at low prices, often with free shipping.

If I go ahead with this little project I'll perhaps post some updates here and I'll likely also make a video or two.

One thing I won't be doing is using a 16GB Raspberry Pi 5 as the controller for any of this stuff. OMG!! Have you seen the price?

Carpe Diem folks!

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