Lithium checklist

[Laundryman]

My set up has evolved, rather than a decision to go ‘Lithium’. I have 3 agm house batteries, connected to 200w solar. They run fridge, lights and rarely a 1kw inverter. I rarely use the shore power charger. I have 2 lithium powerstations,each connected to 200w solar. One is connected to the shore power inlet and provides 220v to the sockets through the boat. The other powers the induction cooktop and combination microwave and convection oven. No gas! Charging has never been a problem. Aside from the solar I can charge the Lithium from the inverter when the engine is running or from shore power when available. It’s all plug and play. The whole lot can be disconnected when I leave the boat and I am no more worried about fire than I am about my keel falling off! No doubt the technical wizards can find fault but it works for me and don’t think it’s more expensive or complicated than all that Victron kit.

 

[Kelpie]

I can sort of see the appeal of self contained power stations but they are an incredibly expensive way of doing it.
A DIY battery costs about £1.50/Ah. A quick google suggests that a 'solar generator' costs £7-8/Ah. Of course you get an inverter etc thrown in, but as a way of adding meaningful capacity it's far from the cheapest option.