>>558315thats because they're lith-Ion batteries and if you overcharge them they'll explode and burn your fucking house down.
remember all those people burned when their laptops exploded? Yeah, same type of batts.
the effiency of the solar cells, coupled with the correct charge controller for those specific cells is what matters most.
then you can look into batteries.
I like the old Ni-Fe edison cells. cant kill those things and they'll last forever.
think of it like a return on investment, eben though you get off grid how much are you actually saving by buying the equipment, producing your own power, and maintaining the system you set up.
a lot of people end up spending MORE money on upkeep every year for a hoke energy system than they would have on just keeping their grid service.
and thats NOT factoring in the time involved.
steep learning curve man, electricity from a solar cell is just as dangerous as electricity from the coal plant, start reading