Location of Solar Panels

[freedom44]

Regretably as a ketch, I cannot fit a goal post to hang all the bits and piecs on, so if I fit solar panels I am stuck with flexible ones to drape over the dinghy on deck, the booms when at anchor and maybe, stich one onto the top of the spray hood.

However, I saw rather a neat solution of hanging fixed panels along the guardrail around the cockpit which could be raised to the horizontal position rather like a leaf in a folding table. I appreciate that the guardrail would probably need to be upgraded to SS piping which could easily extend from the pulpit.

The benefit as I can see it is that the angle of the panel can be altered to suit the sun, the cost per amp of fixed panels is much lower, and when not needed, they can be dropped and stowed securely.

Am I missing something? I would welcome your obversations

 

[jonic]

I have a Plastimo panel on that set up, mounted on my pushpit. Works a treat. For a picture Click here click on "France to Gib" and scroll down the page. (ignore the washing) /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[steve_cronin]

The output from thoise flexible panels is much lower than from the rigid ones particularly the mono-crystalline ones. Also anything NOT permanently mounted will inevitably mean relying upon your diligence to maintain maximum effectiveness and there will be times when you either don't find it convenient or just forget to "open up for business". Surely there's somewhere on a ketch to mount some sort of gantry; do you have stern davits, couldn't they be utilised?

Take a look at our gantry which was raised as a welded on extension to the taffrail and goes well astern. Surely this would miss your mizzen boom.

Steve Cronin

 

[vyv_cox]

- The output from thoise flexible panels is much lower than from the rigid ones particularly the mono-crystalline ones. -

Not true of mine. Our 32 Watt flexible consistently gives a higher output than its specification and exceeds output of our semi-rigid 38 watt panel by a good margin.

 

[npf1]

FWIW ...

I ran a test of a Unisolar 32W flexible against a 48W flexible panel from another manufacturer on a bright but cloudy day in October. The Unisolar 32W panel delivered 1.6-1.9A to the batteries whilst the 48W 'other' panel achieved 0.6A to 0.8A. Both panels were in the same location at the same time, I just switched repeatedly from one panel. A week later I tried a replacement 48W panel (as I thought the other was duff) and got the very similar results in overcast conditions.

Seem to recall some blurb stating that the Unisolar panels are triple layer which makes them perform better in 'non ideal' conditions but less in 'ideal' conditions. Would be grateful if anyone can offer a more technical explanation of this and the results above.

 

[freedom44]

Thanks for the input. If I knew how to add a photo I could show the lack of room for a gantry - I have a Monitor windvane also stuck on the back!

 

[rogerthebodger]

This is how I did mine on my old hartley ketch

I also mounted wind generator and radar on the gantry.

 

[michael_w]

On my last boat, I had a 32w flexi on a "free range" basis. Just moved it about to catch the sun. On the tradewind crossing, hung it on the southerly guardrails bit like a dodger. Just remember to wipe the salt off occasionally.

In port I rigged it either over the boom or on top of the awning.

Good bit of kit.

 

[Abigail]

Hi - we put a steel tube across the davits and mounted a rigid panel on that. This is on a ketch and outboard of a hydrovane. It works. We also have two flexibles tied onto the top of the spray hood, Never really measured them against each other. Sure in absolutely perfect conditions, mizzen boom scandalised high to minimise shade etc, we get more. But actually we want power underway or whatever we can get when we can get it, so we use the extra panels to deal with the actual world not the manufacturers brochures.

Our wind genny is on the mizzen mast and we have one of the ampair things that can be eithr tow or wind, which we have used very successfully in the rigging, actually over the foredeck.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

We had that arrangement, but with them mounted on the pushpit rails, rather than guardwire....

Worked very well... and was certainly easy and neat.... however, one point of caution.... they are quite vulnerable to warps tied off to stern cleats that have been taken forward by a crew waiting to jump onto a pontoon... and I had to repair the frames on mine a couple of times after the warp 'caught' the panel, and gave it a bit of a tweak!

 

[Abraxas33]

I had the same problem with my Countess 33 ketch. Some kind soul gave me a 100 watt panel that had failed; I managed to fix it but then thought where the chuff am I going to put it! The solution was to fit a single 30mm SS tube raked from the stern to carry the very large panel. The critical bit is that a single tube would not be anywhere near stable enough - to make it rigid I fitted two 4mm wire stays from the top of the mizzen to the outer edges to the tube and another two stays to the pushpit. To make further use of the set-up I insuated the stays up the top of the mizzen and use them as an arial for the SSB (receiver). I also hang the dinghy of the gantry at night as an anti-theft measure.

I've got some photo's if you're interested.

Gareth