SOLAR PANELS

[Sabre27Admin]

rory7520
United Kingdom
58 Posts

Posted - 29/09/2011 : 07:47:23
I am interested to hear of others' experience good and bad of solar panels. I need a trickle charge to ensure my engine and domestic batteries are kept topped up. If anybody has details including where they purchased theirs from, I would be very grateful. Thanks

Iain C
United Kingdom
181 Posts

Posted - 29/09/2011 : 08:22:14
Hi

I recently bought a panel from Maplin to keep my battery topped up. I've not actually fitted it yet, as it's a rigid panel and quite big, so I plan to kill two birds with one stone and fit davits, with the panel over the top, during the winter.

There's a thread on ybw.com if you search for it, where someone had done some output tests on it. Forget running fridges etc, but it should keep the juice topped up whilst you are away.

I will take some pics when I fit it.

NPMR
United Kingdom
59 Posts

Posted - 30/09/2011 : 11:59:56
We fitted a solar panel to "Huzzah" before we left for 3 months in Brittany this summer and it was an unqualified success. We use electricity for eveything, of course, but do not have a fridge. We have changed the majority of lamps to LED bulbs, so we have tried to cut consumption but we do have 2 x GPS, AIS, VHF, log and depth, tiller pilot etc, with the masthead lamp being LED as well (but not the pulpit or pushpit nav lights).

I had a stainless frame made (Keefe Engineering of Penryn) that was strong enough to stand on. I filled the centre section with treated green oak tongue and groove planks, routed around the edges to make a tight fit. The 60W semi flexible solar panel was screwed to this, with the wiring taken through a deck gland, to a Steca Charging Controller.

The 85Ah 'house' battery (we have another battery for engine starting) was kept charged virtually all the time despite heavy usage even though we had very limited amounts of sun at times. Typically voltage was held at around 13v (+ or -) but at its lowest was around 12.5v (by which time we'd usually move on and recharge it from the engine anyway). We don't have shore-power on the boat for battery charging.

With everything 'on' when sailing - GPS, AIS, VHF, instruments and tiller pilot working - on a sunny day, it was still just about charging. With lower levels of sunshine, it was discharging slighly but slowly enough so that you never had to give 'power' a thought.

In a marina, where the boat did not swing around, the sun angle was of interest and where it is positioned, facing straight up and in front of the sprayhood, we had to move the boom at times, to stop it creating a shadow and in order to achieve full movement of the boom, I fitted a snap shackle on the end of the main sheet block, so that it could be moved right out of the way.

On the mooring, now that we're back, I notice that the battery is showing 14v and '100%' capacity on the battery monitor, so I can only praise the system.

In the owners gallery, I have (today 30/9/11) submitted pictures. Two for the panel and its frame and one of the Steca controller and battery monitor (with Sterling battery charger below). The wiring is to be tidied up this winter.

Hope this helps

Nigel R
"HUZZAH"