coopec
N/A
What is condescending about being a day sailor?
(Most people have family/business commitments and simply have no choice)
In support of solar
- Thread starter geem
- Start date
What is condescending about being a day sailor?
(Most people have family/business commitments and simply have no choice)
geem
Well-Known Member
Just about every European boat in the Caribbean has crossed the Atlantic East to West. It's not the most demanding ocean crossing as it's generally trade wind sailing but still measured in thousands of miles. You get squalls in the 40s on occasion and big seas. Testing enough for those top heavy cruisers.
I am not condoning all the weight high up on deck but we do see many boats with lots of deck cargo, monkey bars, Bimini's etc. They all make it across
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coopec
N/A
I think this solar arch is very sensible: maybe the way to go. (But right now I am waiting on a reply from people who supply solar panels to the recreational sector)
http://www.bwcy.com.au/pdf/BW450MTechnicalInformation.pdf
http://www.bwcy.com.au/pdf/BW450MTechnicalInformation.pdf
ghostlymoron
Well-Known Member
Why do you intend to make life so difficult for yourself. Whats wrong with having the panels permanently deployed? That way they are always harvesting sunlight whenever its light regardless of what you are up to (sailing or anchored) or even not on board. They are topping up your batteries all day with no intervention from the crew.
Ive used Lensun semi flexible panels with a generic pwm controller they are reasonable quality and decent price. 100w should be more than adequate to keep your batteries topped up especially if they're permanently deployed.
lustyd
Well-Known Member
Some of us like our boats to look nice is probably the simple answer to that. I keep my panels in the locker so that I don't need an ugly arch. They provide plenty of power while at anchor.
Stemar
Well-Known Member
Further question - I think the controllers use power even when no panels are unplugged from them. I just wonder how significant that would be , say over winter when boat isn't on shore-power ?
ISTM that that's precisely the time when you want your panels working to keep the batteries happy. The panels on Jissel lived on the hatch garage, and the ones I have to fit to Jazzcat will go in the same place. It's less than ideal from an shading point of view, but it worked just fine, including during the winter.
Any temporary setup runs the risk of problems if, for example, you have to leave an anchorage in a hurry and can't take the time to stow them properly, or just forget because you're in too big a rush. That's also why I'm not keen on fitting outside the guard wires - sooner or later, I'm going to forget them. As a fully qualified idiot, I'm a great believer in making things as idiot-proof as I can.
ISTM that that's precisely the time when you want your panels working to keep the batteries happy. The panels on Jissel lived on the hatch garage, and the ones I have to fit to Jazzcat will go in the same place. It's less than ideal from an shading point of view, but it worked just fine, including during the winter.
Any temporary setup runs the risk of problems if, for example, you have to leave an anchorage in a hurry and can't take the time to stow them properly, or just forget because you're in too big a rush. That's also why I'm not keen on fitting outside the guard wires - sooner or later, I'm going to forget them. As a fully qualified idiot, I'm a great believer in making things as idiot-proof as I can.
Graham376
Well-Known Member
Fitting panels to guard wires on most boats is a permanent fix not temporary, ours were there when sailing until I built the arch. When not deployed, they hinged vertically so no more in the way than dodgers and still producing some power.
noelex
Well-Known Member
The solar controllers do use some power when in sleep mode. This varies considerably between the different models. On some of the older larger models it can be significant factor.
Normally even in poor conditions such as a winter in the UK, the output from the solar panels will easily more than cover this parasitic draw, but you should disconnect the solar controller if the panels are stored inside over winter.
The other thing to watch is snow. A covering of snow can easily drop a panel's output to zero, so with prolonged snow cover there is a risk that the parasitic draw of the solar controllers, especially if combined with self discharge and other loads, can drop the batteries SOC to a less than an ideal level.
Kelpie
Well-Known Member
Agree. We lowered ours yesterday to go in to a travel hoist, but that's the first time in weeks.
Allan
Well-Known Member
We've used three 50w semi-flexible panels for a few years. One is fixed the others are used when required. They are now all knackered. I'm planning to replace the fixed, square one, like for like. The others I plan to replace with solid rail mounted panels. I've read somewhere about solid panels that are a little thinner than the standard one but I can't find anything on my internet searches. The brackets shown earlier look interesting.
Can anyone recommend some good robust panels?
Can anyone recommend some good robust panels?
Kelpie
Well-Known Member
Two of my panels are "Dokian" which were the cheapest I could get at the time (£125 for 2*100w, Amazon). They have slightly thinner frames than all of my other panels, maybe 25mm vs 35mm.
I don't see any real advantage in the thinner frames, and if you need to try to get a nut on in that little space it would be a real challenge. 35mm are bad enough.
I don't see any real advantage in the thinner frames, and if you need to try to get a nut on in that little space it would be a real challenge. 35mm are bad enough.
Ric
Well-Known Member
I have a mix of flexible walk on panels on the deck, and rigid polycrystalline panels on the arch. Both are regulated by "smart" regulators which allow me to measure the watts into my batteries every day.
I have over a year dowloaded the data every day and made a comparison.
I have been surprised to find that the flexible walk-on panels provide more watts/area than the rigid panels. This despite the rigid panels being unshaded, whereas the deck walkon panels are more often than not shaded by the sails and rigging. The walk-on panels provide less peak power/area, but provide power over wider sun angles.
When I have to replace my rigid arch panels - I think I will replace them with walk-on panels on a plastic base.
I have over a year dowloaded the data every day and made a comparison.
I have been surprised to find that the flexible walk-on panels provide more watts/area than the rigid panels. This despite the rigid panels being unshaded, whereas the deck walkon panels are more often than not shaded by the sails and rigging. The walk-on panels provide less peak power/area, but provide power over wider sun angles.
When I have to replace my rigid arch panels - I think I will replace them with walk-on panels on a plastic base.
dgadee
Well-Known Member
That's exactly the opposite of what I have read many times. Maybe change the regulators around just to confirm?
Kelpie
Well-Known Member
It sounds like the flexible panels are amorphous, which are more shade tolerant but at the expense of peak power.
coopec
N/A
I didn't know that. I just did a google
Which solar panel works best in shade?
Amorphous panels will work best in shady or cloudy conditions, but will not compete with monocrystalline or polycrystalline panels will when the sun comes out. Monocrystalline panels are better than polycrystalline, but are more expensive.21 Aug 2013
https://www.thesolarnerd.com/blog/which-solar-panels-work-best-in-shade/
Apparently one of the latest developments is Half Cut solar cells which reduce losses caused by partial shading by half.
How do half-cut solar cells improve panel performance? - Eco Green Energy
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Kelpie
Well-Known Member
It's becoming hard to buy panels which are *not* half cut, at least amongst the big 300w standard sized ones. Not that you'd want to, it's a good feature.
Rafiki
Well-Known Member
I dont want to make holes in the deck or elsewhere for wiring on permanently deployed panels, and it's not neccessary as usually plugged into mains power with the charger on a timer for an hour or so a day.
jaminb
Well-Known Member
Is this of use to anyone thinking of paneling up?
Ric
Well-Known Member
I am certain of my data. The two sets of panels are controlled by entirely serparate victron controllers.
Obviously when the sun is out and high in the sky, the rigid panels on the arch are stonking power out compared to the walkon panels. But as soon as the sun is even partly shaded by a cloud, or the sun angle dips, they drop off the cliff.
Meanwile the walk-on deck panels keep pumping even when sky is overcast, from dawn to sunset, and even when shaded by bits of rigging.
Averaged over a few weeks of varying conditions, the walk on panels have a higher yield per area.
geem
Well-Known Member
We find the rigid panels we have had always out produce the walk on panels we have had over the years.
Our current panels are only a couple of years old. The new panels seem to get higher output for a given size. Our 180w panels are not much bigger than the 120w panel we used to have. Our maximum instantaneous output we have seen from the four 180w panels is 26amps at 24v or 52 amps in 12v money