Free Electricity from the Sun (starting from just £20)

I won’t bore you with the details of how solar panels work but basically you set them up and they generate energy that you can instantly use or store with batteries for use later.

Here are your options:

1) Solar PV for your house (£4000+)

With a large upfront cost of £4000-£8000 for a 4-9KW setup, you get the added benefit of reduced electricity costs. Often you can pay off the price you paid for your panels within 7-22 years (depending on when you buy, what panels etc), making them a fairly obvious choice for many home owners.

Ensure you get 3 quotes from 3 legit companies ensuring all of them are part of Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS).

2) Portable Solar Panels for small electronics (£20-£100)

These are ideal as part of an emergency grab bag or just for festivals, camping trips, bikers etc, the benefits are as follows:

• Foldable & Portable (ideal for a backpack, laptop bag etc)
• Ready to go, plug and charge.
• Normally several USB slots for multiple device charging

Good versions:

• BigBlue 28W

Or a portable Battery with built-in solar

• Less effective than a full solar unit as above but nice and cheap
• Useful for emergency situations but it will take several days to fully charge
• Examples: Hiluckey 26800

3) Fixed solar panels for rooms/small garages etc (£50-£1000)

• Ideal for camper vans, garages, boats etc.
• Add your own battery pack to this and you’ve got a great unit for a more permanent structure
• You will need some skills / be good at reading the manual to setup

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