Solar or Wind?

Flapjack

Flapjack

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We’re moving to a swinging mooring in March and I need to sort out some from of charging system to keep the batteries topped up but can’t decide between Solar or Wind. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each?

Looking online the prices seem to be reasonably similar for a system that will give roughly the same power output.

Cheers Andy
 
You can not go wrong with a wind charger; i have the popular and reliable Rutland 913; it charges my 4 x 110 amp batteries; no problems. i also have a solar panel which i have never had the need to install it on the boat.
 
My own view.....most wind generators turn any force four into a force six!

2 1/2 times circumnavigator Nick Skeats reckons solar, as do I. Less noise, windage, and one less appendage.

One panel has kept my batts brimmed full this winter.
 
Answer depends whether you sail in a sunny area , or a windy area.
So circumnavigator's quoting is not relevant...
For Britanny I choosed a genny (Aero4gen: worlks well); I understand Britain is the next stop before north pole, so...
 
Both!

When it is windy, there is no sun, so wind gen. When it is sunny, there is no wind, so solar. Simple.

I have 2x110ah batteries. I have used a Forgen wind turbine/generator for years, quiet, no vibration, but the 500 model only produced a trickle charge. That was however good enough season after season and over the winters. The Forgen got damaged (by me), so not used a while, but is about to go back into use.

4 years ago I added a solar panel. I had tried various ones before but they were expensive and all failed in less than a year. A costly mistake. The one I then got on ebay, which is now available from Maplin, is approx £45 and gives 13 watt output. It is designed like a briefcase in that it opens out, is portable, works under the canopy and has been very good. Now getting manky but still working. This has maintained the batteries perfectly on a swing mooring and out on the hard. I usually give it one good mains charge before re-launch.

I Need more power this year so getting 2x30watt semi-flexible panels to put on a curved roof surface, plus a MPPT controller (check that's right?) to make them much more effective. Mono and poly crystalline panels work better, but not in shade, however they are rigid, thick, and can only be put where they won't catch skin or ropes etc. So generally not appropriate I think. Semi-flex work well, are robust, you can walk on them and they tolerate poorer light levels.

Shop around and you can get all these at widely different prices. Most panels come from China apparently. Avoid the seconds that are flogged on ebay. Get ones from a reputable, but cheap, uk supplier who will take back any duds.

Hope this helps.

Mike
 
achwilan said:
Answer depends whether you sail in a sunny area , or a windy area.
So circumnavigator's quoting is not relevant...
For Britanny I choosed a genny (Aero4gen: worlks well); I understand Britain is the next stop before north pole, so...
Click to expand...


Most areas have different weather. dmbruce is well equiped, with both.

Re circumnavigational opinion, I mentioned this because Nick has talked to ALOT of people over his 30 odd years of continuous cruising and has amased some good opinions based on his and others experience.

Flapjack - my own panel is about 18" square, 22 watts I think, and the boat has been laid up on the hard this winter. When the boat is on the mooring it keeps the 100ah battery full, even though we often sail without ever touching the engine. The batt runs the echo sounder and autopilot and plotter (I have no lights yet!)

Oh yes its a proper sparkly one, not a brown sludgy one-the panel that is.
 
I have successfully used the small Rutland 503 for the last 3 seasons hitched just to the start battery. Never fails to start.
I have now bought a 913 and a solar panel as we are gearing up for longer cruises.
It will be in the For Sale area shortly.
 
Can you leave a wind generator unattended without damage?

Just being moored away from shorepower doesn't necessarily mean you must have an alternative means of topping up the batts. As Ken notes above, I also find that the minimum amount of motoring at each end of a day's sailing puts sufficient charge back into the batts.

The two variables that you need to consider:
(1) How much amp-eating kit do you have and use aboard? You can do a simple audit of how many amp-hours all this kit (lighting, nav, domestic, etc) uses over 24 hours. Needless to say a boat with a lot of kit is going to need lots of amp-hour capacity to start with, and the means to put it all back regularly.
(2) What is your typical sailing? A long weekend around the Solent, stopping one night on a buoy and one in a marina (where all you need is a basic smart charger to plug in for battery topup) is very different to several weeks' sailing from anchorage to anchorage.

A Rutland or other small generator is on my wish list (more for use when going off cruising than for trickle-charging between weekend sails). My concern is that, if I left it spinning for trickle-charging when away from the boat, is there not a worry about the thing wearing out or sustaining damage?
 
Thanks for the thoughts guys,

I’m leaning towards solar as I have wind vane self steering so keeping the stern clutter free would be a plus and I have the garage roof to mount the panel on. I’m going to add another 110 amp battery because I’ve only got one battery at the moment so I reckon an 80w panel should keep a maintenance charge in both and add a bit when I’m sailing.
Andy :)
 
Personally in the UK I would go for wind power. Mainly because it has the potential to work 24 hours a day, while solar will generally produce meaningful amps for 8 hrs.

Also you have to bear in mind that solar panels need to be aimed in the general direction of the sun. On a swinging mooring, this would be difficult to achieve. Also as the seasons progress, and indeed the day progresses, the sun gets further towards the horizon and gets weaker, hence you start to have problems with shadows and sun strength.

I spend most of my time in or near the tropics. I have 360 Watts of panels to run my 6.5 cub. ft. fridge and similar sized freezer. In the summer the solar is more than up to the task, but during the winter and dull days I have to run the engine for an hour or two.

As others have said, you need to work out how much energy you will use. If it's just to trickle charge your starting battery during the summer season, a small unregulated solar panel or wind charger may do. But if you need larger charging capacity you then need a regulated supply and a much bigger system.

Kiss Marine produce a high capacity wind gen that is well thought of and quietish in cruising circles. This is my choice .... especially over here in Mexico.

The Air Marine X is noisy and then bane of many anchorages on this side of the pond.

Ampair ..... I had an Aquair 100 on another boat. It is well made and produces 2.5 amps - 5 amps most of the time if the wind is above 12 knots. It is also whisper quiet unless in 25kts or above .... and then who cares? I had the hang-in-the-rigging installation which was an added hassle if I wanted to get underway .... I would tend to go for a permanent installation next time. In water generation was superb .... 5 amps + most of the time. My electrical recharging needs are now beyond this unit .....

If you go for solar panels : quite a few cruisers install them on the lifelines by the cockpit ..... but you may find that they're too prone to damage on a swinging mooring with other boats moving about.
 
You won't get the full benefit of a solar panel mounted on the garage - there will be too many shadows from boom and rigging.
If you look at a panel, it will have multiples of 9 cells in rows. Any 1 cell being covered in a row stops that series from generating, so a narrow shadow across all rows can switch the whole thing off.
Depending on which way the boat lies to the sun, you may want to hang it over the side of the dodger, or over the back (Damn that windvane). Divide the quoted wattage by 14 to approximate how many amps you will get under ideal conditions (never achieved unless you have a sun-following system). We had 150watts in the sunny Med, and it couldn't cope with the fridge!
If you're going for wind, make it a good one (check the wattage is what you need). stick it up a pole at the back and forget it. Use rubber mounts for the pole if you inhabit the aft cabin.
 
If you decide on solar you might find a roving panel and plug best, rather then a fixed possibly shady, position. The only problem is it might rove a little further than you intended on a swinging mooring.
I have an Aerogen which is excellent and has been for years. Almost silent below 30kts and very reliable. As it is only used on the mooring I have it on a short pole, because it is short it needs no stays or complicated fixings. The only problem is that people, trying to be helpful, tell you it is dangerous and inefficient and should be higher. Of course on a mooring you get plenty of clean wind, unlike a marina
Having just fitted wind vane steering I know your problem. I have fixed up a simple wing nut/ U bolt system so the gen can actually be dropped when sailing - so, raised 1ft above the pushpit - lowered just half dia of the fan showing above the pushpit. I hope it works.
It also helps to keep seagulls off, but only a bit.
 
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