Definitely make sure you get a decent one. I had to redo the bands on mine, since it wasn’t water tight (copper nails are great). The charring on the inside does a lot to limit rot. Combined with the aged oak, it’s been quite resistant so far.

I would also recommend sticking a metal spout near the top. Mine is fine until it overfills, then I can get a lot of algae growing on the top bit.

Fyi, an old whiskey barrel make an excellent rain barrel (at least for gardening). A half barrel underneath acts as a stand. They look a lot better than a plastic barrel.

A desert is a very different environment to “normal”. Nievly you would think solar would be better.

Unfortunately:

• A lot more sand means a lot more cleaning, one of the few ongoing costs of solar.

• Sand is ablative. A sand storm will scratch and erode the surface of the panel. This will reduce its efficiency.

• Sandstorms can darken the sky. A lot of direct light can be lost to a sandstorm.

• Solar panels don’t work well when hot. Deserts are generally quite hot, when the sun is shining.

• Solder joints don’t like thermal stresses. The panels, ultimately need wiring together. The joints (cell to cell, and cell to wire) don’t like thermal stresses. Deserts get cold at night, and hot during the day. A lot more panels than normal will be lost to failed electrical connections.

Wind, on the other hand, does well in a large open area. The only additional effects of sand would be blade ablation, and sand in moving parts. Both of these are easier to counter.

Pay cheap and you get cheap. Pay more and sometimes you get fat better quality. Unfortunately, you can also get cheap with a larger mark-up.