Generator -v- solar panels

Slow_boat

Slow_boat

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 Sep 2005
Messages
15,101
Location
My own cosy little world where nice things happen
Visit site
We're off long term next year, around the channel then points south, and would like to not rely on marinas, shore power or running the engine for battery charging.

We have four 100 amp hour house batteries and a sterling charger. We also have a fridge, auto helm, tv etc.

I was intending to get 120 watts of solar panel but today met an experienced ocean sailor who recommends a Honda petrol generator instead.

What does the team think?
 
Slow_boat said:
We're off long term next year, around the channel then points south, and would like to not rely on marinas, shore power or running the engine for battery charging.

We have four 100 amp hour house batteries and a sterling charger. We also have a fridge, auto helm, tv etc.

I was intending to get 120 watts of solar panel but today met an experienced ocean sailor who recommends a Honda petrol generator instead.

What does the team think?
Click to expand...

When on board, my 100W solar panel doesn't get close to providing for my useage. At most, it can generate about 40Ah per day, but generally only about 16-20 Ah per day.

I fitted it so it would top up the batteries during the 3 or 4 days a week I'm not on board.

I use a Honda Eu20i generator for 2 or 3 hours a day, via the 70A shore power battery charger.
 
Get yourself several solar panels, a generator will cost several hundred pounds. But the sowould the panels. The panels will never need petrol, engine oil or any real servicing. If you need to run your engine for an hour a day it would be far less anoying than a genny running for four or five.
 
I have 320 watts of solar, doesnt keep up with my consumption, so I have a built in diesel genny, wouldnt be without one. Been living aboard permanently for 17 years.
But of course it depends on your consumption and how you intend to "live" aboard. If you want to cut most ties with civilisation, then I doubt you would need more than a decent sized solar array. I didnt want to go "camping/caravanning" for 17 years, so I equipped for very comfortable living. Of course also depends whether you make your own water and wash your own clothes.
It also, of course, depends on the depths of your pockets and whether you consider the boating life as a permanent thing or temporary.
We live aboard and have no intentions of coming ashore, until I am incapable of sailing anymore.

I forgot to mention, be wary of "liesure" rated generators, the 3000 rpm range, from anybody, they are not up to the liveaboard life, they are designed to be used "occasionally", the only time I got a real answer to occasional use, was "two fortnights a year and the occasional weekend" same as "marine" fridges, watermakers, water pressure pumps, bilge pumps and float switches, you have to shop around (a lot) and pay to get stuff that will stand up to everyday use, ask me how I know about that!
 
Last edited:
We have 200 watts of solar, a wind gen and a diesel generator. The solar panels generally keep up with our consumption, the wind gen is fantastic (when the wind is blowing!) and the diesel gen tops us up if we need it (and runs power tools and the washing machine).

When we first left the UK we only had the diesel gen and ran it for an hour morning and night. Adding the 'greener' (that's debatable) power providers has given us the feel-good factor for not using fossil fuels so much and it's much nicer not to have the noise and exhaust of the diesel gen in a quiet anchorage.

As far as we're concerned there's a place for all three in our liveaboard life and we wouldn't be without any of them.
 
First I bought the small Honda, a very quite beast, housed in stern locker where I cut a small rear window for the exaust. Extremely usefull also for 230 tools, worked not less than 3 hours per day. But neighbours and friends complained. After a few years I got a 50W panel for 170euro and a cheap MPPT for 85 euro just to experiment. That summer I used the Honda every other day or less. So this year I got a second 50W panel and Honda was on every 3 or 4 or 5 days depending on main engine usage and availability of shore power.
I'm afraid you will need both.
 
We have 2 x 100w solar panels, can keep up with consumption from April to October in Greece with the batteries never below 70%. Usual electric stuff on board. I would beef up your solar panels as a first step and see how it goes.
 
What's the problem with running the engine? The noise? The petrol generator solution means you need petrol aboard, it's still noisy, it's also got an engine so technically doesn't solve the self-imposed "no engine" rule and it's another grand gone, or nearish.
 
Last edited:
What will be your biggest consumer of amps? Probably the fridge. Most fridges are inadequately insulated, and result in the med that you have to charge for hours just to keep pace.

So don't just look at how you generate your amps, look at what you consume and how you can reduce it, because reduce it, you can.
 
SeamanStaines said:
Since we fitted 2 x 250w domestic panels last winter we have hardly run the generator and these produce about 250ah a day in the summer. Low cost and very efficient as they are high voltage.
Click to expand...

500w plus a full day of hot sunshine is probably closer to the mark in terms of self sufficiency.

IMHO the OPs 120W doesn't do it.
 
I have a fridge that makes ice, use the lappie a fair bit and don't economise on the lecky.

400 watts of tiltable solar, 675 amp hours and of course a Caribbean location for the sun.

Works for me.

BTW if you do decide to go the generator route and anchor amongst liveaboards you will soon know what is to be a pariah.
 
Noise from generators, not built in ones if you insulate them properly and seperate the exhaust, after running it through a silencer and seperator. Mine ;little 4kw one is extremely queit, queiter than a lot of noisy devils in cockpits. If you approach the boat in a dinghy, you may hear it, most folk dont and only run it after morning or afternoon, never first thing or late in evening!
 
Our 200W of solar + Aerogen 4 keep up with our demand including fridge 24/7, unless we have 100% overcast sky for around 3-4 days. The Honda 2kw genny then used with 60 amp chargers. All below deck & anchor lights are LED which made a vast difference to demand and so did replacing the HP Pavillion laptop (that packed up as it couldn't stand the heat) with an Asus Eee notebook.
 
How about a fuel cell, they come onto the market in 2013; run on gas or methanol and apparently cost less to run than mains electricity.

Output about 1kw hour.

Anybody know more about them?
 
rustybarge said:
How about a fuel cell, they come onto the market in 2013; run on gas or methanol and apparently cost less to run than mains electricity.

Output about 1kw hour.

Anybody know more about them?
Click to expand...

Yes - they're (very) expensive. I cant see them making economic sense for a few years.
That said Id rather have one than a genny.
LED lights, big bank and 200w of solar works pretty good for us in the med.
1st mate isnt too happy about reading by candlelight though :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top