Off grid solar panels

[GloriaLooseWoman]

Has anyone got this setup?

I was going to set aside a small space in my garage to cover myself for a power cut.

Would a small battery, panel and converter? Run a travel kettle and mini oven/hob?

I don't have it. Apart from solar chargers on spare radios and a solar charged power bank for phone.
Interested to see what others say.

We have on-grid solar panels on the roof. No good for powercuts as it's shut off automatically to protect electricity workers fixing the lines, as small amounts still feeding into the grid from solar panels etc could be fatal.

Anything that heats for cooking etc uses huge amounts of energy. If you did get appliances, I'd maybe consider caravan versions, eg a kettle which is 1000 watts vs 2000 watts for a standard household. Of course that would take twice as long to boil, but would cope better with lower power if you don't have it pre-stored up in the battery.

Some people have made their own tesla style power banks by buying up dozens of old laptop batteries. Potential fire risk though.

I'd look for non-electric cooking and water heating solutions. Eg camping gas stove, Kelly kettle, barbeque, cobb oven etc. Generally think non-electric... fermented vegetables, cold pantry, Zeer pots etc. Don't open the freezer during powercuts. Recently we lost our power for 20 hours and everything was still pretty much frozen solid.

Regarding portable solar panels, I have this Anker 21 watt folding panel which is great for charging a small power bank and USB gadgets like phones, kindles and mini lights. Look for something a bit bigger for charging a laptop. www.amazon.co.uk/Anker-PowerPort-2-Port-Charger-iPhone/dp/B012VL20GW/?tag=mumsnetforum-21

I think unless you live in a rural location and have a generator it’s not a viable option for most people (as storing the power solar generates isn’t easy).

Better to think of alternatives: gas camping stove if you haven’t got a gas hob. Food that doesn’t need cooking. Candles and matches, batteries for torches and radios (or wind up radio). For heat think of a room you can be warm in as a family (fewest external walls/fewest windows, easy to insulate windows etc) and plenty of warm clothes/blankets.

I agree about the Anker folding solar panels. I think we have the slightly older version but it can charge a tablet in very little time even in the winter, provided it's not severely overcast or raining. MP3 players charge even faster. Definitely get a Kelly kettle if you've got outdoor space, those are the best thing ever. And D-Light solar lights.

If you have about a grand to spare, you can get a solar powered freezer kit, (including the freezer) but you'll also need a shed to put it in with the roof orientated the right way.
It's a special freezer (actually you can set it to be a fridge instead) which is more heavily insulated than normal domestic ones.

If you want to power your normal household stuff, you start needing battery banks, special systems wired in to switch from your battery supply back to regular supply etc... & it gets into silly money in this country.

You'd be better to just get a camping stove with a Coleman oven to put on top of it if you really need an oven, although they are quite small, or get one of those wood burning pizza etc... ovens in your garden, you can use them for bread etc... too or a Kelly Kettle if you don't need an oven.
At least then you are only looking for twigs to power it.