Has anyone tried setting up a home office with a portable solar kit, like around 200W with a battery capacity of 1500Wh or more? I'm curious about how reliable these systems are for daily use, as they seem like a convenient option for power. I'm mainly looking to power a monitor and laptop, and I would prefer if I could find a DC adapter for the laptop to boost efficiency. If the power runs low, I'd just switch to mains power, so I'm not overly concerned about that. For those who have experience with this setup, are there any particular brands or models you would recommend?
3 Answers
I've got a decent setup with 800W of solar and about 600AH of batteries to support my work as a software engineer. I can boondock for weeks while running things like a fridge and multiple screens. I opted for a bigger setup to survive those rainy days when the sun doesn't shine for a while.
I've set up a similar system using a 100ah cycle battery, and I run various devices like my router, modem, and even two monitors at the same time. It's been an interesting project for me, and while I don't know how long it’ll take to pay for itself, it's mostly been fun building it up from scratch. I'd say look for something that's adaptable to your needs, but you can definitely get by with less gear than I have if you're not powering a lot at once.
I know a guy, Footprint Hero on YouTube, who worked from a little solar setup. He had some cool insights, but I wasn't impressed with the gear he used since it seemed low-quality and not easily upgradeable. So, while it was entertaining to watch, I’d recommend doing your homework before you invest.