are solar panels of any use on a liveaboard vessel

[colin1325]

hi again solar panels do they work 2 reasons to help charge main batteries also to help charge laptop ?? i run a small ebay business which obviously i need to logon and see what ive sold etc would this be a viable proposition . i need to be in contact with various people around the gloge etc. on a daily basis . is anyone out there doing this already ??

[StoneHenge]

We have a solar panel. It's a 60w panel, and on a good day (clear sky sunny day), the charge to the batteries is such that we only need to run the engine for about half an hour that day (as a comparison to two on other days when the panel is not getting the sun).

 

However some folks (tomandsophie) have two panels and run a few things off them. You might like to do a search for solar panels as some of their discussions and findings may help you see just what you can do, and what you can run off them, and what charges they pull.

 

I am glad we have ours as when we have good days they work wonders. On sunny interval days we get a trickle charge, but you can't rely on them on anything but, unless you pay top whack for an all singing, all dancing, all weather condition panel, and there are no guarantees even with those.

 

And as we cannot rely on clear sunny days on this wee island of ours, it's a bit hit and miss.

 

However, that is my personal experience. Others may vary quite significantly.

[Alastair]

I lived for 18 months on a boat where the sole method of charging the cabin battery was a single solar panel.

 

It worked very well. The internal lighting (5W halogen and led), and the water pump were all run off the cabin battery. In the winter I used kero lanterns and candles to supplement the lighting.

I also ran a laptop for a couple of hours a day and recharged this from a small inverter connected to the cabin battery.

 

The 'all-weather' panel Angela refers to is known as a 'tri-junction' panel. They are no more expensive than the other types, if you shop around.

[colin1325]

i tried to search for solar panels but never had a lot of results its probably me not knowing how to use search

I lived for 18 months on a boat where the sole method of charging the cabin battery was a single solar panel.It worked very well. The internal lighting (5W halogen and led), and the water pump were all run off the cabin battery. In the winter I used kero lanterns and candles to supplement the lighting.I also ran a laptop for a couple of hours a day and recharged this from a small inverter connected to the cabin battery.The 'all-weather' panel Angela refers to is known as a 'tri-junction' panel. They are no more expensive than the other types, if you shop around.

ive seen some they dont seem to badly priced and are guranteed up to god knows how long , it says they work in ordinary light not necc sunny days colin

[debbifiggy]

hi again solar panels do they work 2 reasons to help charge main batteries also to help charge laptop ?? i run a small ebay business which obviously i need to logon and see what ive sold etc would this be a viable proposition . i need to be in contact with various people around the gloge etc. on a daily basis . is anyone out there doing this already ??

We are liveaboard and use our solar panel to supplement our 12v supply. During the summer when we are cruising the panel works great for running the fridge, 12v lighting, water pumps n stuff. Never bother with the computer stuff when cruising as too busy chillin and enjoying the wildlife and scenery. Since getting a more modern panel to replace our old ones we certainly don't have to run our engine as much to charge.

 

Shop around for the best deals on kit. A battery management system is a good investment too if it manages the charge from your panels to the battery bank. Recommend the german Solara range of products but I guess there is cheaper and equally good stuff on the market.

 

Best thing about solar energy is that it is silent :-)

D

[colin1325]

We are liveaboard and use our solar panel to supplement our 12v supply. During the summer when we are cruising the panel works great for running the fridge, 12v lighting, water pumps n stuff. Never bother with the computer stuff when cruising as too busy chillin and enjoying the wildlife and scenery. Since getting a more modern panel to replace our old ones we certainly don't have to run our engine as much to charge.

 

Shop around for the best deals on kit. A battery management system is a good investment too if it manages the charge from your panels to the battery bank. Recommend the german Solara range of products but I guess there is cheaper and equally good stuff on the market.

 

Best thing about solar energy is that it is silent :-)

D

 

 

and free !!!!!!!

[bottle]

and free !!!!!!!

 

No it is not, the equipment costs.

[StoneHenge]

I lived for 18 months on a boat where the sole method of charging the cabin battery was a single solar panel.

 

It worked very well. The internal lighting (5W halogen and led), and the water pump were all run off the cabin battery. In the winter I used kero lanterns and candles to supplement the lighting.

I also ran a laptop for a couple of hours a day and recharged this from a small inverter connected to the cabin battery.

 

The 'all-weather' panel Angela refers to is known as a 'tri-junction' panel. They are no more expensive than the other types, if you shop around.

 

Thanks for that. I didn't know the correct term. I hadn't realised some were as evenly priced as the panels that don't work as well in less sunnier days. I will have to look around as we hope to increase to another panel at some point.

[Gary Peacock]

I think this thread is a very honest view of solar panels if you are a very low consumption user with a green ethos then they will serve some purpose, if you're boat is the floating appartment life then even spending meggabucks you probably aren't going to see massive advantages.

 

It would be nice to see in real terms how money saving and green they really are.

 

How long compared to engine derived electricity would it take for the cells to pay for themselves and is the technology green to produce or like a lot of electric things nasty to the environment to produce and dispose of?

[KenK]

I think this thread is a very honest view of solar panels if you are a very low consumption user with a green ethos then they will serve some purpose, if you're boat is the floating appartment life then even spending meggabucks you probably aren't going to see massive advantages.

 

It would be nice to see in real terms how money saving and green they really are.

 

How long compared to engine derived electricity would it take for the cells to pay for themselves and is the technology green to produce or like a lot of electric things nasty to the environment to produce and dispose of?

 

I worked in the semi-conductor manufacturing business for fifteen years. All this type of manufacturing uses dangerous and environmently unfriendly chemicals, gases etc. The processes require large amounts of energy, for example a diffusion furnace might run for many hours at 1200 degrees C and its not uncommon for a single semiconductor device to take up to two weeks to manufacture. Solar panels are simple devices but the above applies to them although the time scale is shorter. I'm going back some years but then you would never repay the energy costs over the lifetime of the panels and that was in sunny Spain not the UK. The latest panels are better but they are only green if you ignore the manufacturing cost.

 

Ken

[StoneHenge]

I think you are both right Gary and Ken.

 

I think you have to be a low consumer to benefit.

 

Yes, the costs and processes involved in the manufacture of the panels is probably considered ungreen, and I certainly don't imagine I'd be breaking even before I'm at least 50, but at least whilst I am not making money on the panel (not the intention), I am saving or extending the life of my engine on the boat (till I can get a generator).

 

So I'd rather run a 60w solar panel which will prevent up to 1.5 hours worth of ware of my £8,000 plus engine for the sake of a £350 panel. Even when we have the generator, every inch we can get out of the panel on good days will be used (like today), so that we don't have to use the generator or engine for any longer than needed, and then be able to use the engine on the boat for it's intended purpose instead (propulsion, and of course much more fun than sitting idle!).

 

I see both sides here, and can't justify that the processes used to make them are green but then I think anything we try and do to be greener will inevtitably involve processes which are not environmentally friendly. You just have to try and weigh up which process or route is more green than the other.

[ChrisPy]

another aspect, that affects me for example, is that if I'm away from the boat for a long time I want to maintain my batteries, but I do not want to remain connected to shorepower.

 

this must apply to a large proportion of boats that are stacked up in marinas and only visited occasionally.

 

I have bought a small solar panel, and I must get around to connecting it in.

[tomandsophie]

Sorry, can't resist contributing to this thread. I know I've said this all before, but maybe it can be of some help here. We found that our 128w of Unisolar triple-junction solar panels contributed a lot towards our electricity needs. They reduced our engine-running (in the winter) from 1hr a day down to 1/2 hr every other day. Then we changed our 240v stereo for a 12v one and all our 10w halogens for 1w LEDs (another story altogether) and found that the panels now supply absolutely all our needs.

Gary hit the nail on the head - if you alter your power demands to suit the panels then they are invaluable. If you try to get panels to power your 20w lights, big computer, microwave, toaster, etc. then you will be wasting time, money, and space.

[StoneHenge]

Sorry, can't resist contributing to this thread. I know I've said this all before, but maybe it can be of some help here. We found that our 128w of Unisolar triple-junction solar panels contributed a lot towards our electricity needs. They reduced our engine-running (in the winter) from 1hr a day down to 1/2 hr every other day. Then we changed our 240v stereo for a 12v one and all our 10w halogens for 1w LEDs (another story altogether) and found that the panels now supply absolutely all our needs.

Gary hit the nail on the head - if you alter your power demands to suit the panels then they are invaluable. If you try to get panels to power your 20w lights, big computer, microwave, toaster, etc. then you will be wasting time, money, and space.

 

couldn't agree more. Ours are used to help power the fridge (12v), the lights (currently 5w), and the water and shower pump. We want to switch to LED's soon, so we will cut down our power consumption by 3/4. Although we have been using oil lamps of late which also means less power used.

 

We don't have a toaster, microwave and only ocassionally run a lap top if I work from home. Otherwise, we are low consumers in that respect.

 

We do only have one 60w panel though, so two would definitely do the job.

[colin1325]

hi on the boats they are building now do they not use led lighting ? or perhaps you can ask for it

[barge sara]

I worked in the semi-conductor manufacturing business for fifteen years. All this type of manufacturing uses dangerous and environmently unfriendly chemicals, gases etc. The processes require large amounts of energy, for example a diffusion furnace might run for many hours at 1200 degrees C and its not uncommon for a single semiconductor device to take up to two weeks to manufacture. Solar panels are simple devices but the above applies to them although the time scale is shorter. I'm going back some years but then you would never repay the energy costs over the lifetime of the panels and that was in sunny Spain not the UK. The latest panels are better but they are only green if you ignore the manufacturing cost.

 

Ken

 

I guess these days there's so much stuff on the internet that you can find 'evidence' to prove anything. But for what its worth here's a paper from the University of Utrecht that appears to indicate that the environmental ( Energy and CO2) payback period for PVs is between 2.5 and 4 years!

http://www.chem.uu.nl/nws/www/publica/Publ...03/E2003-32.pdf

 

We too use PV panels - two 60 watt triple junction panels provide most of our domestic power and certainly enable us to last for several days without running the engine, which to us is the payback. I hate running the engine just to charge the batteries.

 

Another thought. - If you are really concerned about the environmental impact of manufacture, those lead acid batteries are most probably the worst offenders on your boat.

 

John

MV Sara.

[Lady Muck]

I'd say the best thing about solar panels is convenience, fit and forget it. They are great for the lazy. We have two. They are great for when we are cruising.

[colin1325]

thanks for your usefull comments i can see that power consumption must be payed attention to so as to get best value back from these panels

[NB Willawaw]

Yes they are.

They will only contribute to power generation though on most liveaboard boats.

We use a wind generator and I'm currently building a solar tracker for a Kyocera 130W panel to make

it track the sun as the sun moves through the day and maximise the power it generates.

 

 

Edited November 2, 2007 by NB Willawaw

[colin1325]

can you use this type of tracker while your cruising

[NB Willawaw]

Technically yes, but probably not a good idea as the panels need to be inclined in the up position for maximum generation and a larger panel like the 130W rotating would not be such a good idea underway.

I would suggest keeping it in the fixed stowed position while cruising - most narrowboats spend a lot more time moored than cruising.

Of course the panel will still work in the fixed position, just at reduced/ordinary power.

[soffy]

What an interesting topic - we are looking at all forms of "free" energy and I am very keen on solar panels - the other-half is a bit scepticle but I am getting him around to my way of thinking.

I have also experimented with bottles of water on the roof on sunny days and even on a chilly day the water gets warm in the summer it has almost got to boiling point. useful for washing up or bathing the dog or a quick wash or laundering the smalls.....

[Proper Job]

I have also experimented with bottles of water on the roof on sunny days and even on a chilly day the water gets warm in the summer it has almost got to boiling point. useful for washing up or bathing the dog or a quick wash or laundering the smalls.....

Yachts have been using 'solar showers' for years. A black plastic bag hung from the mast full of water. A bit of hose running from it with a showerhead at the end. Fill it up in the morning, a couple of hours later (on a sunny day - works best in the med') loads of hot water!Often to hot to shower under!

 

Sister has a cheap DIY pool at her house. Heats the water by running it through a black plastic hose around the patio. Seems to work well.

[summer]

we recently completed the mongol rally and used a £9.99 solar panel to charge our battery when the fan belt snapped. We travelled 500 miles like this until we found a new fan belt. we plan to use an electric motor run entirely from solar panels rather than a diesel engine. we have no idea if this is possible but looking into it...

 

(the solar panel was delivering 24V even in the early hours before the sun was up)

[Smelly]

We've gradually reduced our energy usage and recently fitted a 130W polycrystalline panel and in middling weather we don't need fossil to power laptop/ small radio and fridge and it'll cover LCD telly (35W) and LED lights until tomorrow morning. If we switch the stereo on it's a different story, however swmbo got her washing machine and I got to keep my stereo...

 

Overcast days like this, as long as we've not had the laptop on all day we manage, it seems to comfortably run the fridge and tops up the batteries a bit.

 

Good way to reduce your boat's energy consumption... more time in the pub!