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If you’re looking at installing a solar power system, you might be tempted by the vast number of solar power kits on the market. A solar power kit might seem like a super easy solution to your power problems. Just buy a kit, install it and BOOM you’ve got power!…right??
Well, not really.
Just like kit homes and sheds, nothing is ever as easy as it seems. And while there is a time and place for an off-the-shelf solar panel system, is it a good idea for you? And if so, what do you need to know before you plunk down thousands of dollars on a solar kit?
In this post, we’ll take a high-level view solar kits, including our experiences with adapting a kit system for our off-grid home and what we wish we would have done the first time around.
- What is a solar power kit?
- General Types of Solar Power Kits
- What should be included in a solar power kit?
- Who/what are solar power kits best suited for?
- Who/what are solar power kits NOT best suited for?
- The Perks and Drawbacks of Solar Power Kits
- How to Choose the Right Solar Kit For You
- What to know if you decide to buy an off-the-shelf solar kit
- Our Experiences With a Solar Kit
- Supplier and Product Recommendations
- Continue learning about solar…
- Keep learning about solar with us!
What is a solar power kit?
Solar power kits are prepackaged sets of all the components you should need to make your own power from the sun. Most kits will include the basic elements of solar panels, a battery bank, a charge controller, and some type of inverter.
Most kits require quite a bit of electrical knowledge and skill to complete the installation process successfully, though some are more “plug and play” for an average layperson. Some kits are quite large and can service small cabins or homes. Others are smaller and intended for small workshops, sheds, studios, or to power home battery backup systems.
Ideally, these systems would be designed from the outset to work well together. The panel wattage would be balanced to the battery bank, charge controller, and so on. Of course, ideals don’t always match reality, so we’ll be examining some of the nuances of these kits to help you make an informed decision before you take the plunge.
General Types of Solar Power Kits
Off-Grid Kits
Off-grid solar power kits are intended for homes that will have no connection to grid power. These kits range in size from small systems intended for RVs, sheds and low-power workshops, to medium kits for small homes, and large systems for fully-electric homes and workspaces with high power consumption.
These kits will typically come with solar panels, batteries, a charge controller/battery management system (BMS), and an inverter.
Grid-Tied Kits
A grid-tied solar system is perfect for someone who wants to loop in solar energy while still being connected to the power grid. Folks looking at grid-tied systems may also be exploring the possibility of net metering to save money on their monthly power bill, though for some it’s more about using renewable energy wherever possible regardless of the personal payoff.
You can get hybrid systems using something like a SolArk All-In-One hybrid inverter to take advantage of both off-grid and grid-connected power. Or you can be more traditionally grid-tied with solar panels that have microinverters under them.
If you go with a grid-connected solar system, be aware of any power purchase agreements that may be at play so you don’t accidentally pay for the power you use AND the power you produce. You will also need to verify BEFORE you buy any system if:
1. It is allowed to be installed in your home per local codes and permitting,
2. Your utility company will agree to interface with this system, or if you’ll need to use one they supply and/or approve of, and;
3. It can be installed by you or if it must be installed by a licensed electrician or solar installer (assuming you are not one).
What should be included in a solar power kit?
At minimum, anything marketed as a “complete solar kit” should include your desired individual components:
- Solar panels
- Battery bank
- Battery management system (aka BMS, including charge controller, all-in-one unit, or similar)
- Inverter (standalone, microinverters on the panels, all-in-one unit, or similar)
Beyond that, some companies will include a basic level of wires/connectors, but you are commonly expected to source these yourself. That means you’ll need to know what gauge and type of wires to get, as well as any additional connectors, conduits, shut-offs, signage, protective fencing/netting, or tools that may be required. Some companies will prepare a list. Others expect you to dig into the documentation and figure that out on your own.
Solar kits don’t always include the mounting hardware or racking needed to actually install your panels. Some companies provide an optional roof mount hardware add-on before you add to cart, but what if you don’t want to roof mount your panels? Maybe you want to do a ground mount or a pole mount like ours.
Perhaps you actually want to do a combination of mounting types to suit your unique space requirements. In those cases, you’ll need to find your mounting components separately. Sometimes, VERY separately. Our original solar mount came from the kit company we contracted with, but the pole we put it on came from a pipe fabricator about an hour away from us. It was a heavy steel pipe in the code-recommended gauge and it took a LOT of effort for us to move.
Your local ordinances may have something to say about the types of mounts you’re even allowed to use. For example, a few cities in our metro area have recently implemented codes prohibiting roof panels from being visible at the road, or even disallowing some ground-mounted systems entirely for safety or aesthetic reasons. This may be something to consider if you live in an area with more regulations, so be on the lookout!
From there, you may need additional wires, connectors, disconnects, breakers, and so on to complete the physical installation and/or satisfy your local code requirements. The responsibility is on YOU to verify that, so make sure to ask lots of questions before you buy, both from your local code officials and whatever solar company you want to purchase from.
RELATED: Friends or Foes? A Beginner’s Guide to Permits and Code Officials
Who/what are solar power kits best suited for?
Solar power kits are a good option for those who already have a general knowledge of applicable codes and best practices, whether it be from formal training, classes, and/or extensive research. These kits are often a convenient way to buy matched components, sometimes even for a more reasonable price over sourcing everything individually.
Solar power kits are great for straightforward use cases. For example, homes or buildings in remote locations, a small workshop or shed, a small off-grid home, or whole-house backup power in case of a power outage or other grid failure.
Connecting to your utility company via a grid-tied system and/or installing in a locale that requires you to jump through a lot of permitting hoops isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it is inherently more complicated. I highly recommend connecting with local solar installers and designers who are familiar with your area’s codes and ordinances can ensure you get the best fit for your energy requirements.
If you can’t find someone near you, contact one of our recommended solar companies listed at the end of this post. There are several we have worked with who we would highly recommend to help you parse through the details even if you don’t buy anything from them.
Who/what are solar power kits NOT best suited for?
Contrary to what you might assume, solar power kits are not well-suited for solar beginners planning to attempt their installation without guidance or by gaining skills through a class or significant research.
A lot can go wrong if you don’t understand the risks and electrical principles behind your project. That said, you can absolutely learn if you really want to DIY! We strongly suggest that if you are new to solar, do as much research as you think you need and then double that.
My husband Mark already had skills when it came to home electrical work, having rewired our previous home and fully wired our current home. But solar adds another layer of complexity.
In preparation for upgrading our original solar power system back in 2020, he enrolled in solar education courses through Heatspring and sat the exams to become NABCEP certified. What he learned allowed him to design a better overall system than what we started with.
READ: How We Upgraded our Small Solar Power System
In fact, he often wishes he would have taken these classes before we ever went off-grid because then he would have been better able to spot the flaws in the kit we used the first time around.
It wasn’t that the company itself was bad or that the kit was bad. But there were flaws for our site, local codes, and eventual home power usage that we could have mitigated ahead of time had we known. Not knowing cost us thousands of dollars and made our first few years living off the grid way harder than it needed to be.
You don’t have to pay to take classes and sit exams if you don’t want to, but Heatspring DOES offer some fantastic courses to help you get started with your solar learning from certified experts:
Heatspring Solar Power 101 – Free Course
Solar PV Bootcamp – Paid Course
The Perks and Drawbacks of Solar Power Kits
There is something to be said for buying a bundle that has just about everything you need. A prepackaged solar panel kit can take out a lot of the guesswork in terms of balancing the electrical load across components. How do you know that the number of solar panels you have will serve the battery bank you’re getting? With a kit, someone has done that math already.
The drawback is that these kits are made very generally to work in most locations, but don’t take into account your local sun hours, typical climate and weather patterns, site layout, and your unique usage of the system. Sure, someone has done the basic calculations for the kit system, but how will those panels perform in your typical weather? How will those batteries respond to the temperature fluctuations they may be subjected to in your installation location? Can the system handle your typical draws and surge loads? The answers to these can vary wildly from install to install.
Another drawback is that a solar panel system kit will come with predetermined brands for the various components, and they may or may not be everything you want. For example, one kit we looked at had the exact all-in-one management system we want but subpar batteries we didn’t like. Another one had the batteries we wanted but an inverter and BMS that didn’t fit our needs as full-time off-gridders. Buying a la carte helps us get exactly what we need for our situation.
How to Choose the Right Solar Kit For You
The best kit for you is one that will match the size and scope of your electrical needs. After all, you wouldn’t use a little 100W panel to power a whole house and you wouldn’t get an enormous whole-house system for a backyard shed. You have to evaluate your specific needs!
We already have a handy PDF guide to help you add up all of your electrical loads inside of our Members Only Resource Library. You can sign up for that for free below. But in a nutshell you need to figure out:
- If you’ll be off-grid, grid-tied, or grid-tied with battery backup
- How big of an electrical load you’ll have
- Any large surge loads you may have (ex: power tools, well pumps, air conditioners, etc.)
- Potential future uses of your system (i.e. will your needs stay low, or do you plan to add electrical loads over time? This is an especially important question for folks living off-grid)
From there, do your math to figure out your general electrical needs. The numbers you come up with will help you right-size your solar panels, inverter, and battery bank. Once you have a general idea, browse some kits on the solar websites we have listed below and in our free guide to get an idea of your base price.
From there, I HIGHLY recommend calling or emailing those companies directly. Explain your project and potential needs. There are usually system designers there who are happy to help walk you through your plans and help you run the calculations more in-depth, even if you don’t end up buying from them!
Our solar planning guide includes a fill-in-the-blank script to help you start those conversations if you need a little extra help. Get on the email list to grab that guide along with all of the other free PDFs in the Resource Library!
I also HIGHLY recommend reading this post we put together about how much solar power you might need:
READ – Getting Started With Home Solar Power
What to know if you decide to buy an off-the-shelf solar kit
Having installed two of our own solar systems now and getting ready to undertake a third, I can say with confidence that knowledge is power. Just because something comes as a “kit” doesn’t mean it’s ready to use right out of the box.
ANY project, whether it’s electrical or not, is almost always guaranteed to take twice as long as you expect, to require more parts and materials than you think, and will rarely go exactly the way you envision it in your mind. At best, it’s multiple extra trips to the hardware store or a specialty supplier. And at worst, it’s a project that results in injury or death. Electrical projects are no joke.
We recommend you get a hardcopy of the current NEC codebook and study it or find access to the codes for free here. Your inspector (if you have one) will appreciate this.
That said, the NEC does NOT give you all of the answers, and can be quite confusing. This is why we recommend taking at least a free solar power class like Solar Power 101 from Heatspring, if not one of their paid courses like the Solar PV Bootcamp.
And if you don’t feel confident installing it yourself, find an electrician or a solar installer who is willing and able to install it for you BEFORE you ever click the Buy button.
Our Experiences With a Solar Kit
Back in 2016-2017 when we were in the throes of building our off-grid home, we scoured the internet and found a wide variety of companies selling DIY solar kits. We found one that seemed like a good fit and reached out to them.
We saw an off-grid kit listed on their site that we thought would meet our projected needs, so we asked for more information. The person we spoke to was basically a sales rep and not a system designer or engineer. They were knowledgeable, there were some key details we missed.
For example, we discovered soon after everything arrived that the 2000-watt inverter that came stock with the kit would NOT be nearly enough to run our loads, particularly our shallow well pump, which has a surge load near the limit. They let us send that one back and upgrade to a 4000-watt inverter.
From there, our issues compounded. We discovered that our electrical inspector required a certain Balance of System (BOS) to meet current NEC requirements and pass inspection. Because each location and system is different, your BOS requirements could vary. The kit assumed that we knew the best paths from the solar panels to the inverter. This resulted in us using a non-standard method of combining solar strings that our inspector wouldn’t approve and thus required a redo.
This company also quoted us a 24V system designed for even smaller houses or RVs instead of the industry-standard 48V architecture. If you’re serious about living off the grid, a 48V system is usually the way to go. Had we been better informed, we would have bought a 48V system from the get-go and could have already switched to lithium iron phosphate (LFP) without having to plan yet another major upgrade.
In short, we spent a LOT of extra money unnecessarily over the last nine years that we could have saved by crafting an even better system from the outset.
And that’s nothing bad on this company’s end. They were easy to work with and tried to offer workable solutions. It was more that WE didn’t know the right questions to ask and didn’t have as deep a knowledge about off-grid solar as we should have. That’s why we say that solar kits aren’t necessarily great for beginners. Even though the word “kit” implies a certain level of skill, that isn’t really the case.
Seek out knowledge. Hone your skills. And find solar system designers and engineers who can give you solid input on your actual system needs given your likely usage.
Supplier and Product Recommendations
If you’re looking to install something small that doesn’t necessarily need to be top-of-the-line, like for a small shed or outbuilding, there’s nothing wrong with going with a lesser-known brand you picked up at the discount hardware store or found on Amazon.
The issue with some of those brands can be spotty customer service if you need help or have questions during installation. I also question their durability and longevity.
You’re bound to come across YouTubers or folks on Reddit who have installed these relatively cheap systems with great success. And you’ll find others who hate it and wish they’d spent the extra money to level up. Pay attention to how those folks are using their solar systems and what their expectations are.
No matter what YOUR expectations are, you deserve to order solar supplies from companies that will back them up and help you troubleshoot when you need it.
We have direct experience with and recommend the following retailers for solar kits:
We also have components from the following companies and have had great customer service experiences with them:
Continue learning about solar…
Solar power doesn’t have to be super complicated, but it is also a pretty deep rabbit hole to go down. There’s so much to learn! And as much as I love living with solar power, that alone doesn’t make me an expert on all the ins and outs of it.
These are some of our favorite resources for getting started with finding the best solar power kit for your specific needs:
- Shop Solar Kit Finder Quiz
- NAZ Solar Learning Center
- NAZ Solar Calculator
- Heatspring Solar Power 101 – Free Course
- Solar PV Bootcamp – Paid Course
- r/DIYSolar subreddit
- DIY Solar Power with Will Prowse (YouTube)
- DIY Solar Power Forum
Keep learning about solar with us!
If you want to dive into the nitty-gritty of actually living with off-grid solar power, here are some of our previous posts all about it:
- How to Get Started With Solar Power for Your Home
- Off The Grid Solar Power: How Much Do You Need?
- Expanding an Existing Small Solar Power System
- What We Run (and don’t run) on Our Small 1.14 kW Off-Grid Solar System
- Solar Power in the Winter: Our Experience With a Small Off-Grid System
If you want to learn more about planning your own solar system, join our free email list to get access to a free PDF planning guide!
Members get access to the private resource library with free PDF guides on everything from planning a home build to gardening to solar and more! The solar guide even includes templates for how to call or email solar companies so you can start asking the right questions.
Learn more about our original cordwood homestead project here. And be sure to join us on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram for more homesteading goodies that don’t necessarily make it to the blog. Thanks for reading!