---
title: Plan Your Own Sun — an off-grid solar brief
canonical: https://kingsmoot.com/almanac/off-grid-solar/
---

# Plan Your Own Sun: an off-grid solar brief

## Direct answer

The useful first step in off-grid solar is a load brief: list appliances, measured energy use, peak loads, critical loads and the worst production period. That brief makes professional quotes easier to compare; it is not a wiring plan or final system size.

## What the guide helps with

- Recording daily energy use and peak power assumptions.
- Separating critical loads from optional loads.
- Asking how a design handles the worst month, battery limits, generator support and future expansion.
- Comparing quotes on stated assumptions rather than headline array size.

## Safety boundary

Do not use this summary to select conductors, protection, isolation, earthing, battery installation or code compliance. Batteries and electrical systems can cause fire, shock and toxic exposure. A licensed solar designer or electrician must complete and sign off the design required in the relevant jurisdiction.

[Read the complete canonical article](https://kingsmoot.com/almanac/off-grid-solar/).