Solar panel

[doris]

When the boat was built I had the wiring and the regulator for solar fitted in the factory with a plug in the companionway. The plan is to get a semi flexible panel so that I can hang it at the best angle when I’m using it.
Current thinking is a Spectra lite Semi Flex Pro 150 watt. It comes with eyelets etc so easy to use. It’s designed for a marine environment so . On a decent sunny day in a UK summer this could provide up to 130Ah which is pretty much my daily consumption. If it all works to get a second one should be no problem. In medium conditions we use about 6A per hour, without the StarLink. A bigger panel becomes a pain to store but up to two like that is manageable.
Thoughts anyone??????

I’m told that the panels for the deck are coated to enable them to be walked on which hugely reduces their efficiency. And I don’t want an arch etc, I’m not live aboard or a transAt hero like Jason with Cyclops!

 

[lustyd]

We have two 100A Renogy flex panels on the coachroof tied to the handrails with bungy cord. They work well and with 200A of panels we make up to 1KWh in a day in summer.
Make sure your “regulator” is MPPT and capable of pulling all of the Wattage if you add a second panel, and check what cable size was used.

 

[Boathook]

We have two 100A Renogy flex panels on the coachroof tied to the handrails with bungy cord. They work well and with 200A of panels we make up to 1KWh in a day in summer.
Make sure your “regulator” is MPPT and capable of pulling all of the Wattage if you add a second panel, and check what cable size was used.

and the fuse(s). A few years back my new bigger panel stopped working. It had blown the fuse as I had used one just big enough for the smaller panel. Wiring was over engineered ....

 

[Minerva]

We have two 100A Renogy flex panels on the coachroof tied to the handrails with bungy cord. They work well and with 200A of panels we make up to 1KWh in a day in summer.
Make sure your “regulator” is MPPT and capable of pulling all of the Wattage if you add a second panel, and check what cable size was used.

Goodness me, those must be enormous panels!

 

[dunedin]

I wouldn’t spend extra for panels with eyelets - most you can simply drill the outer edges to add a bit of thin rope.
Can’t comment on the specific panel you propose - we went with Sunbeam Nordic range from Denmark, not because of our northern lattitude but because they could provide the exact size needed. Otherwise might have gone again with Photonic Universe semi flex which had lasted well.
The latest panel is so thin that difficult to use as an unattached “floating panel” as just bends when lift - the simple solution is a small bit of wood attached to the strings on one side

 

[lustyd]

Goodness me, those must be enormous panels!

Watts, I meant Watts thanks for catching that!

 

[Supertramp]

We have two 100A Renogy flex panels on the coachroof tied to the handrails with bungy cord. They work well and with 200A of panels we make up to 1KWh in a day in summer.
Make sure your “regulator” is MPPT and capable of pulling all of the Wattage if you add a second panel, and check what cable size was used.

Considering a second panel and a flexible one would add more choice on positioning. Do they flap or vibrate in the wind?

 

[lustyd]

Considering a second panel and a flexible one would add more choice on positioning. Do they flap or vibrate in the wind?

In very strong winds they wobble a little. We took them in for Floris and a recent storm in Falmouth. I’ve not taken them in today in Plymouth.
The bungy cord is tight but not overly so, so the elastic dampens movement. I attached some window UPVC profile to the edges to stiffen them. This connects to the middle eyelet then the bungy cord through the end eyelets holds it too. Two cords on each panel holds them well enough and they’ve been almost permanent on the coachroof this year.
I have extension leads to place them anywhere on deck for when at anchor but last year in Scotland solar was less useful than usual so didn’t bother. This year is French coast so I expect to move them more