Solar panels as Side Screens

[geem]

I'm not aware that there's any particular difference between brands. I've always just bought the cheapest rigid panel I could find on eBay or Amazon and never had a problem.

Ditto. I bought my current 180w panels from a Chinese electric shop in Bonaire in the ABC Islands. They had them on offer for $170 each. My wife asked if there was any discount for four panels? They said no, they were already on offer. We decided we would have them anyway but thought we would nip to the chandlers first for the connectors and tinned cable. We go to the chandlers and they were closed. We went back the next morning, bought the bits we needed and then returned to the Chinese electric shop. The sales guy ran up to us and said he had offer for us. $120US each if we bought four panels.
Ker ching.... done deal. That was four years ago. Can't fault the panels

 

[Kelpie]

I’ve done exactly that as from the pic I’ve just taken. Two 110W flexi panels with battens to slightly stiffen them. They made a big difference from our solar being just below what was needed for fridge and 24 hour autohelm etc to more than needed every day.

The most they have made is 460Wh but 280Wh of that was float so they could make a great deal more. And they act as dodgers, but I would need two panels a side to fully cover the dodger area.

Why did you choose semi-flexible panels? Wouldn't it have been better to have rigid ones if you're not sticking them down to the deck?

 

[RupertW]

Why did you choose semi-flexible panels? Wouldn't it have been better to have rigid ones if you're not sticking them down to the deck?

Flexis weigh so little and are so thin I can store them very easily and they can just hang on the existing wire by cord. A heavy thick glassy panel has no appeal to me.

 

[geem]

Flexis weigh so little and are so thin I can store them very easily and they can just hang on the existing wire by cord. A heavy thick glassy panel has no appeal to me.

Rigid panels in my experience, out perform flexible panels over their lifetime.

 

[Kelpie]

Flexis weigh so little and are so thin I can store them very easily and they can just hang on the existing wire by cord. A heavy thick glassy panel has no appeal to me.

If you're taking them in and stowing under a bunk then flexi will definitely be the right choice.
OTOH rigids can just stay in place 24/7. The extra weight is negligible- a 100w panel weighs about 7kg. Given that we trust our lifelines to support fenders and falling bodies I don't think there's anything wrong with hanging rigid panels off them.

Btw rigid panels are surprisingly robust. Once, my boat was beached on legs and the 50w panel blew overboard, falling about 8ft and landing face down on stones. It stayed there overnight and was fully submerged for hours. I stuck it back on deck and it worked perfectly.

 

[RupertW]

If you're taking them in and stowing under a bunk then flexi will definitely be the right choice.
OTOH rigids can just stay in place 24/7. The extra weight is negligible- a 100w panel weighs about 7kg. Given that we trust our lifelines to support fenders and falling bodies I don't think there's anything wrong with hanging rigid panels off them.

Btw rigid panels are surprisingly robust. Once, my boat was beached on legs and the 50w panel blew overboard, falling about 8ft and landing face down on stones. It stayed there overnight and was fully submerged for hours. I stuck it back on deck and it worked perfectly.

i still don’t see the appeal but fair enough.

 

[Kelpie]

i still don’t see the appeal but fair enough.

For me the appeal is that they're about a quarter the cost with longer lifespan.

 

[RupertW]

For me the appeal is that they're about a quarter the cost with longer lifespan.

I’m not sure about the longer lifespan but agree that decent flexis cost more.

 

[Kelpie]

I’m not sure about the longer lifespan but agree that decent flexis cost more.

I think flexis have come on a long way but the earlier ones were prone to delamination. Especially if not fixed down the deck. I'm told it's less of a problem these days.

 

[onesea]

As some one says:
100w 7kg ridged £100 - Tough as old boots.
However I have found
100w 2.4kg semi flex £130 - ? Life span.

I like the idea of less weight on guardrails however at what cost?

I think much will come down to what the tape measure decides as to best fit.

 

[geem]

As some one says:
100w 7kg ridged £100 - Tough as old boots.
However I have found
100w 2.4kg semi flex £130 - ? Life span.

I like the idea of less weight on guardrails however at what cost?

I think much will come down to what the tape measure decides as to best fit.

We have had two sets of flexis. Both had low output and very short life. By comparison our cheap rigid frame panels are robust and give great output for very little money. Our 180w panels are 9kg

 

[Kelpie]

As some one says:
100w 7kg ridged £100 - Tough as old boots.
However I have found
100w 2.4kg semi flex £130 - ? Life span.

I like the idea of less weight on guardrails however at what cost?

I think much will come down to what the tape measure decides as to best fit.

You can get rigid for much less than that (must be a joke in there somewhere).
The last set I bought were £130 for a pair, a couple of years ago.
If you want to go larger the cost per watt falls rapidly.

Also bear in mind that unless you're sticking it down to a deck, semi-flex panels will need to be attached to some kind of board for stiffness. I've seen somebody use OSB for this, bye bye weight savings .

 

[ctva]

I have this setup with two 100w rigid panels, one on each side. All the details and pic on this thread.

Solar Panel Question...

 

[onesea]

You can get rigid for much less than that (must be a joke in there somewhere).
The last set I bought were £130 for a pair, a couple of years ago.
If you want to go larger the cost per watt falls rapidly.

Also bear in mind that unless you're sticking it down to a deck, semi-flex panels will need to be attached to some kind of board for stiffness. I've seen somebody use OSB for this, bye bye weight savings .

Would be pleased for some links we are looking at approx 1m x 0.6m. The exact Wattage not so much an issue as the size.

 

[vas]

fwiw, semi flex are fine in northern latitudes, bring them down to the med or carib and they die in a few years.

[waiting for someone to prove me wrong ]

 

[Kelpie]

I just checked and the ones I bought aren't in stock anymore at Amazon. Don't know if you can find them anywhere else:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B07YKMWJ5D?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[RupertW]

We have had two sets of flexis. Both had low output and very short life. By comparison our cheap rigid frame panels are robust and give great output for very little money. Our 180w panels are 9kg

People often say this so just as a counter example we have had 400W of flexis on our Bimini for 6 years and they still occasionally produce output above their rating and show no signs of deterioration.

fwiw, semi flex are fine in northern latitudes, bring them down to the med or carib and they die in a few years.

[waiting for someone to prove me wrong ]

I prove you wrong. 6 years on the Bimini and good as ever

 

[geem]

People often say this so just as a counter example we have had 400W of flexis on our Bimini for 6 years and they still occasionally produce output above their rating and show no signs of deterioration.

I prove you wrong. 6 years on the Bimini and good as ever

So you have been lucky. Plenty of friends here with longevity issues with semi flexible panels

 

[vas]

I prove you wrong. 6 years on the Bimini and good as ever

Good!

Where's the boat please and can you give us model and size?

 

[RupertW]

Good!

Where's the boat please and can you give us model and size?

We fitted them in the Balearics and have been mostly in the Canaries since apart from the last few months in the Caribbean.


They are the gold standard ones, designed specifically for biminis so as to never touch the frame and too narrow to be bent. We have two of the quadruples - one on the port side for the bimini, one on the starboard, plus the side panels mentioned in this thread.

Sunware Textile Solar Panel Quadruple

Our location tonight: