Solar panel - does this sound reasonable??

[vyv_cox]

At the same time in the UK they had fine weather for the whole time, nice, warm, sunny.

Any more?

Which bit of the UK was that then? Not the bit I'm in. Weather has been pretty poor for weeks in the west, cloudy, dull and cool.

Having had solar panels now for 15 years in Wales, Holland and into the Med, I can assure you that the benefits obtained are about double in Greece than they were back home.

 

[muyuu]

You can have an idea of the difference by looking at this map:

http://maps.grida.no/go/graphic/solar-insolation

 

[VicMallows]

I adopted the empirical approach. Two 40w rigid panels from EBAY for £160. (more versatile than one 80w which would have been a bit cheaper.)

A cumulative amp-hour meter (such as a BM-1) is vital to make any sensible assessment, IMHO.

Play around with the positions of the panels while on the mooring/at anchor/in your marina berth ...depending on your personal requirements. You will quickly learn a great deal about their performance, effect of shadows, etc.

I certainly now have more power than I need in summer, but everyone's requirements are different. It'll be interesting to see if their contribution in winter is meaningful.


Vic

 

[haydude]

Which bit of the UK was that then? Not the bit I'm in. Weather has been pretty poor for weeks in the west, cloudy, dull and cool.

Sussex. We had a bit of drizzle on bank holiday monday evening. For the past six weeks it has been so dry that my lawn is now yellow, well ... dead I am afraid. I will have to start over once more in September, getting used to it.