I've had lots of questions from friends about how to set up their own emergency solar system, so that if there's a power cut / apocalypse / etc they'll still be able to have lights, radios and phones working. So I've put up a page with FAQs and a few example solar setups, from around £250. Cheaper if you already have a car battery lying around - the bare bones is really only about £150. It's all stuff bought from eBay, and it's a tiny fraction of what most people charge for a solar starter kit. Check out http://www.shopwiki.co.uk/l/Solar-Technology-80W-Solar-Panel-Kit---Starter - even Maplin are trying to charge £600 for a £110 panel plus a £20 charge controller. And there are shops asking for upward of £800, relying on the fact that people don't understand how simple they are to use.

So, do it yourself! Don't get ripped off by buying a kit (unless you buy it from me, in which case why not buy two?).

Check out https://howiem.org/solar for more info. Any questions, drop me a line and I'll add it to the page.