Which regulator?

C

CornishSailor

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Over-wintering in Lagos, Portugal (with Tethys :-)
www.yachtpipit.com
We are upgrading our boat for living aboard, heading for the Med, and have a dilemma about which regulator to fit for the solar panel and wind generator.

We are fitting a D400 wind generator and an 85w solar panel. The D400 output in 32 knots is 400w (33 Amps), the maximum output of the solar panel may be x Amps (final decision on panel is dependent on what will best fit on the soon to be made and fitted arch). Choices on regulator are:
6TB12: 40 Amp (including dump load)
or
Tristar 60: 60 Amp, plus dump load (s/s plate, approx 12" x 6")

If we have, say, 30 knots of wind and full sunshine (afternoons in the Med!), and are generating more than we need, we can, if aboard at the time, obviously stop the wind generator (and would obviously do so anyway if the noise became too much for us or any neighbours), but if not on board, would we, by choosing the 40 Amp regulator, be creating a problem for ourselves?

Any suggestions from your practical experience would be appreciated.
 
We have found our solar panels to be a lot more use than our wind generator. In summer it tends to be very sunny but there is frequently little wind or just a few hours of F4 in the afternoon. If you hope to run a fridge I would recommend 200w of panels. this will provide you with 200/17 = 11A in bright light. 55+AH in a day. Of course there are days like today where the wind generator would win out. 30 - 40 knots for some of the afternoon but in much of the med this is not the norm.
 
In general (we haven't done Med sailing) we would now choose solar over wind every time - much more reliable output.
One thing to think about with the regulator is the wind generator output in squalls. We have a Rutland 913 and when sailing through squalls etc it can easily exceed the maximum rated output. With this in mind I would always choose the largest regulator that can easily handle the max output you will throw at it. Speaking from experience - when you get hit by a 50 knot squall with driving rain and zero visibility its quite easy to focus on keeping the boat afloat and pointing in the right direction and therefore forget about turning off the wind generator!
Just my thoughts - we found that getting the best kit / right kit upfront (even though more expensive) has saved us trouble and money in the long run.
Jonny
 
I'm with jonnyH here - better to have set up which does not need manual intervention when your mind is on other things. In the case of squally conditions, rather than remembering to turn things off, maybe better to have a dump regulator , so if wind and solar are putting in too much the excess doesn't result in over-charging.
 
Or consider the new Airbreeze as recommended by Nigel Calder which is self controlling. We have fitted one which is excellent (and quiet) together with a rigid 130W Kyocera solar plus we have a total of another 130W semi flexible panels on the deck. We would expect to be power independant in the med with this lot. :D
 
... and don't rely on 30kts of wind every afternoon. If there is any it's frequently less, certainly so around Greece and Cyprus.
 
I would suggest don't rely on much wind - you choose a sheltered anchorage as its sheltered, ie not much wind. If you find an anchorage with a good breeze for the wind generator then you spend all night worrying about your anchor and those of your neighbours. In over 100 anchorages I can only think of 2 where there was enough wind for the wind generator to be worth its cost. Solar is the way to go without a doubt.
 
Thanks for your replies, all of which provide more information to digest. We chose the D400 due to its higher output (double the next best), particularly in lower wind speeds (5-10 Amps in F4), and whilst initially installing an 85 W solar panel, are leaving the option to add additional flexible ones later. Despite adding the arch, space for rigid solar panels is limited.

The dump load is for any occasion when the batteries are fully charged and the additional power generated needs to be disspiated elsewhere. The regulator rating is that current above which it would melt, irrespective of whether the batteries are completely full or completely empty, if the generated power exceeds that limit. Hence there is logic in Jonny H's point about getting the best kit up front to avoid future problems, which was my main question.

P.S. Sad the Wild Birds will miss the laughs at the SW YBW meet on 24th, but following your blog, glad to hear you are having such great adventures.

P.P.S. Jonny, we've been following your blog too, great stuff! If you go to the anchorage in Ball's Head Bay in Sydney (don't know if it still is, but used to be a visitor's anchorage), mind the rubbish on the seabed, renowned for fouling anchors!
 
certainly in the western med you will be disapointed with your wind generator. Anywhere there is wind there tends to be too much and other wise its flat calm. ( just back from 4 months in Med France
 
Hi Ann

You need to come over and see our setup. I've decided against wind as the solar has proved so successful. I'm in France this coming weekend but I think the following weekend is the SW meet weekend and maybe we could RV before getting the ferry over to YH? R&D
 
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