Small scale solar, supplier / manufacturer recommendations

[Jess--]

can anyone recommend a good supplier of solar panels for a small installation.

 

I am looking at fitting 100w of solar purely to keep the batteries topped up while the boat is not in use, I am under no illusions about what I can expect from solar at this scale and I doubt if it would even keep my fridge running long term.

 

what I am looking for is 100w semi flexible that I can fix to a sheet of plastic (that will in turn be fixed to the roof of the boat with a flexible adhesive), and a suitable controller, the system is unlikely to be expanded so the controller doesn't need to be massively over specced.

 

Budget is around the £250 mark for supply only, I can handle the fitting.

[matty40s]

Bimble.

[cereal tiller]

Bimble.

Seconded

Bimble Solar

 

CT

[Boredrider]

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/NEW-100W-12v-Energy-Semi-Flexible-Mono-Solar-Panel-100-watt-TUV-ISO-UK-/261967394172?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3cfe79357c

 

This Ebay supplier will do a further discount for cash/collection. I have a couple of these panels which seem to work fine.

 

Can I ask why you feel the need to introduce a plastic sheet into the fitting? Mine are glued to a sanded paint finish with "Stixall".

[Jess--]

Thanks for the recommendations.

 

My thoughts with the plastic sheet were so that there was something a little stronger than just the panel if I ever needed to lift it off.

[Rendelf]

We use a 150W Bosch solar panel from Photonic Universe.... though it's not flexible, it puts out about 12Amps in good sunlight, and up to about 8 in cloudy conditions. That's enough to run our boat without the engine for weeks at a time! The one thing that will flatten the batteries in quick order, though, is the fridge. Any heating application uses all the juice. I wonder if you have a razzy, efficient one?

 

They sell 10 Amp dual battery controllers for not much... they are simple, but allow you to trickle charge your cranking battery, and divert the rest to the leisure bank, in increments of 10%