Ask HN: What is the best small off-grid solar kit today?
I'm looking for small off-grid kits that include a battery for consistent output of about 1000 Watt Hrs per day, and are simple to install by myself
1kWh is about 85 Amp Hours. You'll need at least a 160Ah battery if you don't want any extra storage. Usually you will need to at least double that for days when you don't have much sun. I would suggest you need at least 400Ah worth of batteries.
Then you have to figure out how much sun your panels are getting to determine if you can fully charge your batteries in that time for the rest of the day.
You'll most likely only need a few 100W panels. This means you'll be looking at <$1k for the batteries and <$1k for everything else, including a cheap controller.
Size? Well expect this entire thing to weigh around 500lbs!
Your panels will pretty-much work 24/7 though. I've gotten half an amp from the moon on my 2x 100w panels.
> Is the power rating of the panels a peak, before efficiency or lack-of-sun losses are taken into account?
Yeah. They can actually put out a tiny-bit more, but don't expect them to. Plan for them outputting peak 70% of what they are rated for, actually.
https://battlebornbatteries.com/
I looked at them for RV use, though, and folks seem to be happy with them. Too rich for my blood, I ended up going with AGM for now.
Oh, and they have kits, too. Just add solar panels:
https://battlebornbatteries.com/product-category/battle-born...