Off grid power for my garage/man cave

[Steveetee55]

I've just moved into my new house and best part is it has a garage,decent size L shaped so I will be setting up my own workshop for car tinkering and garden machinery repairs, but it's not next to my house and doesn't have electricity, so I'm toying with an idea of solar panel off grid setup, has anyone done this and a bit of advice would be great I'm OK with electrics and have a budget off about £300 it's only for lights and maybe a pillar drill, I've got battery grinders etc, and my dad's giving me a little 240 volt genny for anything more powerful

 

[The Panda Nut]

I've just moved into my new house and best part is it has a garage,decent size L shaped so I will be setting up my own workshop for car tinkering and garden machinery repairs, but it's not next to my house and doesn't have electricity, so I'm toying with an idea of solar panel off grid setup, has anyone done this and a bit of advice would be great I'm OK with electrics and have a budget off about £300 it's only for lights and maybe a pillar drill, I've got battery grinders etc, and my dad's giving me a little 240 volt genny for anything more powerful

No experience but google would no doubt help. Aroured cable from the house was my solution, I do know how irritating it is having solar and battery to not have electricity in the event of a power cut because the inverter needs mains power to work! Surely its not beyond the wit of man.

I have a mini solar panel that does 12v and 8A in good sun. Its hte size of 2 A4 sheets. Sometimes you can get 2nd hand solar panels ex solar farms as they upgrade a couple of big ones might give 50v and 8A+ which might charge some batteru=ies from which you could power 12v lighting.

 

[Steveetee55]

It's bit far from and through 2 gardens to get cable to the garage, I think solar would be ok charging the battery's and so led light bars as they don't draw a lot current I might even buy a little wind turbine as it's on top of a hill and gets pretty windy round here, I've seen basic solar setups in the sub £300 range I can get a decent 100amp battery through work for a cheap price, I'm gonna give it a whirl once I've cleaned out the crap left in the garage

 

[SB1500]

My uncle built a shed / workshop and greenhouse in 2017-2019. It's fully solar powered, sends all its power to what looks like an oversized car battery. It's great, but I think power tools would be too much draw for it. I must ask him for the specs of the full set up, it is feasible enough.

 

[The Panda Nut]

My solar inverter can be programmed to allow use to be controlled. Batteries are rather too costly I suspect for man cave. Caravan lights and a few HD leisure batteries would go a l;ong way and could be recharged in summer from a solar cell. My garage is 25m from the house. It has an armoured cable taking power to it which is burried soemwhere. Its been there at least 40 years and has been OK so far. Its fed directly from the consumer unit. RCD at the house and a small consumer unit with further RCD in the garage,

 

[chris3234]

If mainly for light's a pair of good leisure batteries and some 12v motorhome/ caravan lights would do fine

And something like this maybe for the panel and charge controller

ECO-WORTHY 200W 195W 12V Bifacial Mono Solar Panel For Campervan Caravan Boat RV | eBay

Solar Panel. Solar Panel Kit. Solar Panel System. Lithium Battery.

www.ebay.co.uk

No experience with that brand so can't speak to it

But would easily run lights for a few hours. Day especially it the better parts of the year

Then run a car inventor for when you want to run your drill depending on wattage for it

 

[Steveetee55]

I have bought 2 100 watt 18volt solar panels, a victron solar panel 12/24 volt 30amp charger, cables, inline circuit breaker, i already had a good 70amp battery, and i am waiting for 12/24 800watt inverter, i will eventually will buy 2 100amp 12 volt batteries as i have been told 24 volt gives you better more stable power than 12 volt all in costs are about £200 so far, i will be hooking it all up after i have finished my enforced apprenticeship in flat pack construction cupboards beds wardrobes, dressing tables etc etc lol