Solar panels

[BWG]

Air lifts and very low head gravity filtration are the way to go for serious power savings. Large ponds in Europe running on 80 watts or less.

For emergency situations with possible long duration dropping down to just aeration and minimal to no feeding a power pack or small inverter generator can go for a long time.

FYI - Many of these solar charge packs are sold by the camping industry. Both permanent mounted on campers and portable units. They have a very high failure and problem rate. A quality inverter generator using non ethanol gas and Stabil can go years and start up fine.

[aquaholic]

Battery technology and manufacture have been rapidly improving which drops prices.
For similar budget you could buy a lesser known brand with four times the Ah capacity, better support - longer warranty, inbuilt BMS (battery management system) and add your own solar panels. If you were in Australia, I could recommend several local brands.

Agree that aeration and low lift gravity filters are very efficient and reliable (simplicity). However the best way to safeguard against electrical outages or technical malfunction is to maintain a low stocking rate of fish. You don't need to do anything and could probably turn off filtration during peak electrical time slots.

[UnkleTim]

I paid up front for our solar system. It paid for itself in less than 4.5 years. My electric bills in the summer months often reached 800 bucks and that was before the power company raised its rates. My monthly electricity bill is now $5.83 per month year round.

[BWG]

Problem with the subsidized solor setups is the cost savings for a few come from the people on the electrical system paying the artificial government set extra high rates needed to pay for it.

TANSTAAFL is an acronym that stands for "There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch". It's a popular expression that conveys the idea that nothing in life is truly free, and that there's always a cost to any decision. Plus over 97% of the solar cells needed for manufacturing panels are manufactured in China.