Solar Panels comparison

[reg]

Flexible panel life previously discussed here

 

My experience with Unisolar panels is very positive, these are the high quality flexible panels. Unfortunately the company went into liquidation a good few years ago. I was very fortunate to get 2 of the liquidated USA stock and a verY decent price.

Midsummer recognised the gap in the market left by the liquidation and,  in my opinion, admirably managed to track down the manufacturers and/or suppliers so that these would not be lost to the market. This was as I understand the genesis for the CIGS Panels.

 

The only Downside I can see is the lower output per surface area this is more than mitigated by the lack of obstruction on the roof which is of great benefit when locking.

 

 

My autocorrect seems to insist that they are also of benefit when licking. I have no evidence of this.

 

Edited December 3, 2021 by reg

[magnetman]

Worth noting that you can in fact walk on rigid panels anyway. 

 

I guess this depends how heavy you are and I am quite light at around 70kg. The main problem with walking on them is that they are slippery but unless you are heavy and clump about it is not going to break. 

 

I have a few rigid solar panels including JA solar 325w x 2, Canadian solar 365w X 1, LG 355w X 1 and Canadian solar 415w X 2. 

 

With the high effectiveness of these I think it would probably be worth considering a wooden plank system which you place across the panels when boating and remove and slot underneath them when moored. Scaffolding plank each side would spread the load effectively giving a more secure walking area. Would need to be fixed somehow. 

 

Also a handy boarding plank in a convenient location on each side of the boat. 

 

Panels want to be mounted a few inches above the cabin top so there will be room beneath for the planks. 

 

Maybe this is too complicated ! 

Edited December 3, 2021 by magnetman

[beerbeerbeerbeerbeer]

1 hour ago, magnetman said:

Worth noting that you can in fact walk on rigid panels anyway. 

 

I guess this depends how heavy you are and I am quite light at around 70kg. The main problem with walking on them is that they are slippery but unless you are heavy and clump about it is not going to break. 

 

I have a few rigid solar panels including JA solar 325w x 2, Canadian solar 365w X 1, LG 355w X 1 and Canadian solar 415w X 2. 

 

With the high effectiveness of these I think it would probably be worth considering a wooden plank system which you place across the panels when boating and remove and slot underneath them when moored. Scaffolding plank each side would spread the load effectively giving a more secure walking area. Would need to be fixed somehow. 

 

Also a handy boarding plank in a convenient location on each side of the boat. 

 

Panels want to be mounted a few inches above the cabin top so there will be room beneath for the planks. 

 

Maybe this is too complicated ! 

Or too bothersome 🙂

 

[GUMPY]

I just put my panels in a place that I would never walk, problem solved.

[blackrose]

That's quite a long cable run to your batteries, assuming they're at the stern.

 

Part of the reason I still don't have solar panels is because of the difficulty in routing the cables to the battery bank. I could feed them in through a mushroom vent or fit a waterproof gland on the roof, but it's getting the cables along the centre panelling, around the sliding hatch area and then down one side of the stern bullhead that's the problem. 

 

What's that thing stuck on your sliding hatch? Is that a monitor for a wireless camera at the bow?

Edited December 4, 2021 by blackrose

[Alan de Enfield]

15 minutes ago, blackrose said:

That's quite a long cable run to your batteries, assuming they're at the stem.

 

Are batteries not normally in the area around the 'stern'

[blackrose]

12 minutes ago, Alan de Enfield said:

 

Are batteries not normally in the area around the 'stern'

 

Sorry that was a typo, I meant stern. Auto correct on my phone changed it.

[GUMPY]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

That's quite a long cable run to your batteries, assuming they're at the stern.

 

Part of the reason I still don't have solar panels is because of the difficulty in routing the cables to the battery bank. I could feed them in through a mushroom vent or fit a waterproof gland on the roof, but it's getting the cables along the centre panelling, around the sliding hatch area and then down one side of the stern bullhead that's the problem. 

 

What's that thing stuck on your sliding hatch? Is that a monitor for a wireless camera at the bow?

It is a long run but the panels (570w)  are fairly high voltage 43+v so voltage drop doesn't seem to be a problem. If it had been I would have just wired them in series.

Cables go into the roof through waterproof glands underneath the panels then along the lighting cable duct on one side of the ceiling, which runs the full length of the boat, finally dropping down to the Controller in the engine area.

As for the gizmo on the slide it's a GPS receiver so I know exactly what speed I was doing when passing moored boats so providing I am not going too fast I can tell them to go forth. It's a hangover from Parglena where I was always accused of going to fast because of the perception of speed from its size 🤭 if you zoom in you can see I was doing 4.9mph 😯

Edited December 4, 2021 by Loddon

[matty40s]

58 minutes ago, blackrose said:

 

 

What's that thing stuck on your sliding hatch? Is that a monitor for a wireless camera at the bow?

Looks like a GPS speedometer/depth gauge thingy, and looks like the stretch heading towards wadenhoe

[GUMPY]

8 minutes ago, matty40s said:

Looks like a GPS speedometer/depth gauge thingy, and looks like the stretch heading towards wadenhoe

It's just a GPS, as for where it is it's going upstream  between Lilford Marina  and Lilford lock.

[Detling]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

That's quite a long cable run to your batteries, assuming they're at the stern.

 

If as you should be, you are using an MPPT controller the loss of a few hundred millivolts on the run into the controller has no effect on the output from the controller. The voltdrop between controller and batteries is important though, which is why controllers should be near the batteries. If you have a PWM controller, since those 'regulate' by chopping off the topend of the volts there will be no difference unless your panel voltage is only just above your charging voltage.