When we fitted our solar system eighteen months ago, we weren’t sure whether 400 watts of panels and a 200Ah lithium battery would be enough to keep us truly off-grid. The short answer: yes, with caveats. Here’s the honest breakdown after a year and a half of daily use across twelve countries.
The Setup
Two 200W rigid panels on the roof, a Victron MPPT charge controller, a 200Ah LiFePO4 battery, and a 2000W pure sine wave inverter. Total cost, including installation materials: approximately 2,400 pounds. We did the wiring ourselves, which saved about 600 pounds but added two days of swearing and YouTube tutorials.
Summer Performance
In southern Europe from April to September, the system is more than sufficient. We run two laptops (we both work remotely), charge phones and cameras, power LED lighting, and keep a compressor fridge running 24/7. On a clear day in Portugal, we were generating more power than we could use by midday.
Winter Reality
Northern Europe in winter is a different story. During December in Scotland, we were getting perhaps two hours of useful solar input per day — enough to maintain the battery but not enough to run everything freely. We supplemented with driving (the alternator charges the battery) and occasional campsite hookups.
The Verdict
Absolutely worth it. The freedom of parking anywhere without worrying about electricity has fundamentally changed how we travel. We camp in places that have no facilities, stay as long as we like, and never have that anxious feeling of watching a battery gauge drop. For anyone considering the investment: do it, and don’t go smaller than 400W if you work from the road.
