Solar Panels (kit)

[Flocal]

I would like to get a solar panel set up for the boat but really dont know where to start!

 

I currently use my engine as the only souqrce of power and recharge for my batteries..

 

Anyone point me in the right direction please?

[Psycloud]

There's some info in this thread: http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=50838&st=0&p=947926

 

David

[Flocal]

Cheers just see it

[IainW]

This is the thread we followed to get our set-up.

 

Rather than buy a kit we bought panels like these, cables and connectors from these guys and this controller separately which works out cheaper but needs DIY input. Horses for courses...

 

These panels take up a lot of roof space though, so we copied another boaters idea and made roof boxes to put our bikes in:

 

Edited October 5, 2012 by IainW

[Gazboatman]

This is the thread we followed to get our set-up.

 

Rather than buy a kit we bought panels like these, cables and connectors from these guys and this controller separately which works out cheaper but needs DIY input. Horses for courses...

 

These panels take up a lot of roof space though, so we copied another boaters idea and made roof boxes to put our bikes in:

 

 

 

Thanks for posting that pic

[MtB]

This is the thread we followed to get our set-up.

 

Rather than buy a kit we bought panels like these, cables and connectors from these guys and this controller separately which works out cheaper but needs DIY input. Horses for courses...

 

These panels take up a lot of roof space though, so we copied another boaters idea and made roof boxes to put our bikes in:

 

Must be flippin small bikes you have. I'm sure there's no way my bike would fit in a box that small!

 

Mike

 

P.S. nice rainbow behind your boat

[IainW]

actually...

 

sorry rubbish photo but it's tight in there ;-)

 

Full size adult bike, front wheel off, folding pedals, slidey surface on roof.

 

With disc brakes, it's a very quick process popping the front wheel in and out.

Edited October 5, 2012 by IainW

[Gazboatman]

I plan on doing something simler to this. i am going to make a frame out of hardwood and router the panel into the frame and make the box as one unit so if anyone wanted to try steal the panels they would have to take apart the box making loads of noise.

[Psycloud]

This is the thread we followed to get our set-up.

 

Rather than buy a kit we bought panels like these, cables and connectors from these guys and this controller separately which works out cheaper but needs DIY input. Horses for courses...

 

These panels take up a lot of roof space though, so we copied another boaters idea and made roof boxes to put our bikes in:

 

 

I was looking at some 250w panels on eBay this morning but was slightly concerned because they said output 37v. So presumably your controller can handle that kind of voltage - I wasn't sure about that as a lot of the controllers I've seen didn't go as high as that.

 

David

[IainW]

it says max 150v!

[Psycloud]

it says max 150v!

 

Thanks. Does your box/panel installation allow for the panels to be raised or are they permanently flat? This set up looks the business by the way!

 

David

[IainW]

i decided that i would spend far too much of my time turning the panels so i went for fixed flat. I suppose rather than fix the panels to the top of the box, you could affix a swivel set-up like this?

 

One of the main things to consider if trying to get bikes in is visibility when steering. We originally made the boxes 50% bigger and they stuck out like a sore thumb, steering was tricky! Ended up cutting them down as a compromise between storage and well, just being too big for the roof of a NB. Our bikes only needed 25cm load space height to get them in with folding pedals and front wheel off. This helps keep them lower profile.

Edited October 5, 2012 by IainW

[Gazboatman]

i decided that i would spend far too much of my time turning the panels so i went for fixed flat. I suppose rather than fix the panels to the top of the box, you could affix a swivel set-up like this?

 

One of the main things to consider if trying to get bikes in is visibility when steering. We originally made the boxes 50% bigger and they stuck out like a sore thumb, steering was tricky! Ended up cutting them down as a compromise between storage and well, just being too big for the roof of a NB. Our bikes only needed 25cm load space height to get them in with folding pedals and front wheel off. This helps keep them lower profile.

 

 

Do the panels charge the battries up good?

Edited October 5, 2012 by Gazboatman

[Baddie the Pirate]

If you don't want to install yourself www.onboardsolar.co.uk. Run by a liveaboard boater who uses what he sells. He arrives, installs the whole system sized to fit your power requirements, and when he leaves you are up and running. I've had this tilting system installed on my boat, and now work in tandem with Tim from Onboard Solar, I was so impressed. (I'm the liveaboard boater selling LED lighting). Cheers, Baddie

[IainW]

Do the panels charge the battries up good?

 

I haven't had to turn the battery charger on since plugging in the panels to the new battery bank. And that was two horrible weather weeks ago, so far so good!

[Rustykev]

I would like to get a solar panel set up for the boat but really dont know where to start!

 

I currently use my engine as the only souqrce of power and recharge for my batteries..

 

Anyone point me in the right direction please?

 

If you know nothing and are unsure about getting parts from here and there, go to Midsummer Energy http://midsummerenergy.co.uk/ and they will sort you out well. Others might argue the science, but my experience is as follows.

 

The simplest set up is a panel feeding into a controller via two wires (pos and neg), which then connects to the batteries via two more wires (again pos and neg) to the pos and neg of battery. Add the sun, and sit back and enjoy.

 

Suggest you go for a MPPT controller as it uses the power from the panel more effectively.

 

Some of the power claims might confuse, but it is simple. A 75 watt panel will produce, in ideal conditions and assuming a 12v output, you will get 6.25 amps every hour (Watts = Volts x Amps, therefore Amps = Watts/Volts). So, over a sunny 5 hour day, you will get 5x6.25 = 32.5 amps put into your batteries. (Actually, the panels will produce up to 17v. This is where the MPPT controller comes in. 75 watts at 17 volts is only 4.4 amps, but the clever controller "transforms" the 17v down to your battery voltage, say 12.5v, which of course, increases the amps to 6 amps per hour.)

 

Midsummer will help you quickly and efficiently. They are not the cheapest, but they do offer fantastic after sales. I recently sent a query after 2 years since buying my panels and they responded by return.

 

Cost - a 75w panel, 10m wire, 4m battery wire, and MPPT controller was, two years ago, about £300.

 

Is it worth it - definately. You will not replace all your use, but it will help a long way. The biggest draw for me is I no longer need to connect to shore to keep the batteries sweet. THe panels do it for "free".

 

Hope this helps.