Unisolar PV & Mixing types of solar panels

[BrenMyster]

HI folks

 

My new boat lacks solar so its my job to kit it out with an array. I've been doing some research and think I'm pretty clued up on what's out there in the solar range. I wondered if anyone has any real world experience with the unipolar 136w PV panels? There is very little out there but I found the video, the guy is getting volts inside his garage which si quite impressive.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jUuPGco_rU&t=284s

 

My plan is to get one or two of these and a couple of the Lensun 100w panels. My thinking being that the Unisolar are good in the winter months and also in the summer and then the Lensun will be great during the summer. I know the unisolar wont give me as much energy per sq ft as the Lensun but the PV panels are supposed to be great in low light and shade. They also work if they are partially covered.

 

Im also not even sure if its possible to wire two different types of solar panels together. Do you need two charge controllers?

 

Anyway, If any one has any experience with this it would be great to get some advice.

 

Cheers

[matty40s]

I'm not sure why you are planning to use different panels if designing a system from scratch???

You are complicating matters, especially where different panel voltages are encountered.

 

The amount of solar you will get in the deepest Winter 3 months is so negligible, that messing around with several controllers and hoping a bit if sun hits a Unisolar instead of the other one is chasing ghosts not power.

[BrenMyster]

From what I have learnt monocrystalline panels only really work in direct sunlight, and do not work at all if they are partially covered. The PV panels get voltage from low light conditions, so i would not be hoping that they get the sun, I wouldn't have to because they work in the shade, and also in direct sun work if they are partially covered. Mono gives you more watts per sq ft. The issue with a boat, unlike a house roof for example, is that the conditions are always changing.

 

Having a mix means I'm assuming means that I'm getting the best of both worlds. Since the Pv panels take up more space there is only so much roof space to put them. I could have 200w coming from each different type of panel and be set for all conditions. I'd's also consider a wind turbine if the generators were quieter.

 

I wasn't planning on doing anything yet, just doing research.

 

I have seen boats with different sizes of panels which lead me to believe that you could get charge controllers that accepted different voltages.

[WotEver]

As you say, you only have a limited amount of roof space. It therefore makes sense to get the best energy density from your panels, which generally means monocrystalline.

 

Buying panels of the same type makes the choice of controller simple plus means you'll only require a single controller.

 

You should always avoid shade wherever possible, whatever panels you choose, although modern panels with bypass diodes suffer less from shading than older designs.

 

An MPPT controller will maximise the output from the panels even compensating to a degree for partial shading.

 

The reason you see mismatched panels on many boats is because they have added to their system over time.

[BrenMyster]

I'd like to find someone with the unisolar and gets some real world tests. I'll be continually cursing so I wont have much choice of were I'm mored up.

 

My thinking with the PV panels is the boat could be sitting in a place with only 2 hours of direct light a day (not even taking the cloud cover into consideration) and the PV will give me a good trickle whatever light there is. I could be in the same place and have a big bank of mono and be get nothing unless the sun comes out.

 

Slow and steady. But yeah, soon going to run out of roof space.

[WotEver]

Talk to Bimble, they'll give you good advice. I've yet to see a flexible panel that's even close to a mono panel in terms of either value for money or output per sq m.

[Bricksh]

HI folks

 

My new boat lacks solar so its my job to kit it out with an array. I've been doing some research and think I'm pretty clued up on what's out there in the solar range. I wondered if anyone has any real world experience with the unipolar 136w PV panels? There is very little out there but I found the video, the guy is getting volts inside his garage which si quite impressive.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jUuPGco_rU&t=284s

 

My plan is to get one or two of these and a couple of the Lensun 100w panels. My thinking being that the Unisolar are good in the winter months and also in the summer and then the Lensun will be great during the summer. I know the unisolar wont give me as much energy per sq ft as the Lensun but the PV panels are supposed to be great in low light and shade. They also work if they are partially covered.

 

Im also not even sure if its possible to wire two different types of solar panels together. Do you need two charge controllers?

 

Anyway, If any one has any experience with this it would be great to get some advice. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31wyAkE0g9Q

 

Cheers

Hi

I am also looking at this as a solar system on our boat. This you tube video is interesting where someone tests 2 x 130W unisolars vs 2 x 100W poly and 2 x 100W mono panels. Yes I know that's an unfair comparison as the amorphous have a 30% advantage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31wyAkE0g9Q

 

However in non favourable conditions the unisolars did surprisingly well generating 7.5KWhrs vs 4.9 and 3.5.

 

I have just got 4 x unisolar 68W and will add lensuns in the summer when I get a feeling for the required additional output. I am planning on doing that with a second MPPT as the unisolars will effectively choke the Lensun panels.

[Alan de Enfield]

I'd like to find someone with the unisolar and gets some real world tests. I'll be continually cursing so I wont have much choice of were I'm mored up.

 

 

 

Surely - being a CCer gives you virtually unlimited choice in where you moor.

 

Folks with a mooring get very little choice, except when they are out cruising.

[WotEver]

Oh THAT'S what continually cursing meant... I though OP meant he'd be continually regretting his choice.

[Jess--]

with solar my thoughts are that regardless of type of panel / mix of panels you will find that in summer they will cover the majority of your electricity (unless you are a very heavy user) and in winter they will be next to useless.

 

the panel on my boat is a 140w mono-crystaline panel (20.8% claimed efficiency) which in summer (clear day) will generate around 120w for 16 hours a day (160 Ah @12v).

in winter the same panel will manage around 15w for 8 hours a day (10 Ah @ 12v) purely due to shorter daylight hours & weaker sun.

 

even if your mix of panels is 100% more efficient than mine in winter conditions you are looking at a system that will manage around 30w for 8 hours (20Ah @ 12v) which might cover your lighting overnight but not much more.

[RD1]

Ideally you need the solar panels to be perpendicular to the sun in both planes, not possible with fixed panels, but having a tilt mechanism with the sun on the beam would be next best. This could possibly double your solar output, cf. to flat panels on the deck.

 

More messing about, but if you are moored a long time, might be worth the effort.

[MtB]

Ideally you need the solar panels to be perpendicular to the sun in both planes, not possible with fixed panels, but having a tilt mechanism with the sun on the beam would be next best. This could possibly double your solar output, cf. to flat panels on the deck.

 

More messing about, but if you are moored a long time, might be worth the effort.

 

 

My 560W of panels are flat on the roof and on a dull winter afternoon deliver between 0.1A and 0.4A typically (into 24V). When the sun comes out this can leap to a whopping 3A or so.

 

Given the sun even at midday only appears to be about 20 degrees above the horizon in midwinter I suspect by standing my panels nearly vertical and facing the sun I'd increase the output almost tenfold. This is not worth the effort though as there are only about ten hours of winter sun a year.

 

In summer I have oodles of power from the solar and never have to run the engine or genny.

[BrenMyster]

Hi

I am also looking at this as a solar system on our boat. This you tube video is interesting where someone tests 2 x 130W unisolars vs 2 x 100W poly and 2 x 100W mono panels. Yes I know that's an unfair comparison as the amorphous have a 30% advantage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31wyAkE0g9Q

 

However in non favourable conditions the unisolars did surprisingly well generating 7.5KWhrs vs 4.9 and 3.5.

 

I have just got 4 x unisolar 68W and will add lensuns in the summer when I get a feeling for the required additional output. I am planning on doing that with a second MPPT as the unisolars will effectively choke the Lensun panels.

 

 

I think I'm sold on the unisolar. Get 2 of the 136w to start. See how they go the the english weather. Just cover the roof in them

[WotEver]

I think I'm sold on the unisolar.

On the basis of one review?

 

What quality were the Poly & Mono panels?

 

As I posted above, I'd ask Bimble, they sell all three and give good advice.

[Alan de Enfield]

It is amazing the number of people who ask a question, having already made the decision, and look for the 'hive' to confirm how clever they are.

Any suggestions / arguments to the contrary are ignored.

[BrenMyster]

Its also amazing how people on forums are condescending and rude. Just saying.

 

I'd already done plenty of research on the PV panels. Now i realise that mixing them with mono's probably isn't a good idea. I'm going to get some advise from Bimble as well.

[WotEver]

Its also amazing how people on forums are condescending and rude. Just saying.

 

I'd already done plenty of research on the PV panels.

So why bother asking?

 

We all have doubts that what you suggested is a good idea but Bimble, being good guys, will confirm it one way or the other.

[stegra]

In the second clip those Unisolars are about twice the area of the other two types combined and rated higher wattage anyway. Based on those results it would be possible to have four pairs of poly panels (probably at a similar cost) taking up a similar area and nearly triple the output of the Unisolars over that period in those conditions. Interesting that the poly panels fair better than the monos; not the usual thinking.

 

I didn't see what type of controller was being used. MPPTs help to get the most from PV panels in poor light but I don't know with amorphous. The clip with the panel covered in paper showing 7v is meaningless. The current will be minuscule. A 3v watch battery is 50% higher voltage than a fork-lift battery.

[matty40s]

Its also amazing how people on forums are condescending and rude. Just saying.

 

I'd already done plenty of research on the PV panels. Now i realise that mixing them with mono's probably isn't a good idea. I'm going to get some advise from Bimble as well.

 

I wasn't rude, I was just pointing out facts having fitted a large variety of systems to many boats over the last 5 years fir a lot of satisfied owners, and live with 540w on my roof.

 

The Winter 4 months are so marginal it really isn't worth speccing a system to hope it supplies anything, if it does its a bonus.

Trying to achieve a small margin of improvement with 2 plus 2 panels of different types on a boat is quite irrelevant, it will be massively relevant for a solar farm of an acre.

 

Go with a basic setup of 2 or 3 panels but buy a controller to allow expansion if you feel the need.

I have found monocrystalline to perform best over 5 years, I do get regular updates from an amorphous fan.

[MtB]

In the second clip those Unisolars are about twice the area of the other two types combined and rated higher wattage anyway.

 

 

I noticed that too, and immediately lost interest in the rather silly video.

 

When designing my own system I found it easy to overlook Watts per unit area in favour of Watts per pound Sterling. Roof area is the most precious resource when speccing a system for a narrowboat, not the initial cost.

[WotEver]

In the second clip those Unisolars are about twice the area of the other two types combined and rated higher wattage anyway. Based on those results it would be possible to have four pairs of poly panels (probably at a similar cost) taking up a similar area and nearly triple the output of the Unisolars over that period in those conditions. Interesting that the poly panels fair better than the monos...

The bit in bold is why I doubt the whole review. Either he's used some very old/cheap mono panels or maybe the panels are high voltage and he's not using an MPPT controller. It's all very suspect.

[Robbo]

The bit in bold is why I doubt the whole review. Either he's used some very old/cheap mono panels or maybe the panels are high voltage and he's not using an MPPT controller. It's all very suspect.

I believe mono performs better when directed to the sun, where they are similar performance to poly when not.

[Justme]

Hi

I am also looking at this as a solar system on our boat. This you tube video is interesting where someone tests 2 x 130W unisolars vs 2 x 100W poly and 2 x 100W mono panels. Yes I know that's an unfair comparison as the amorphous have a 30% advantage.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31wyAkE0g9Q

 

However in non favourable conditions the unisolars did surprisingly well generating 7.5KWhrs vs 4.9 and 3.5.

 

I have just got 4 x unisolar 68W and will add lensuns in the summer when I get a feeling for the required additional output. I am planning on doing that with a second MPPT as the unisolars will effectively choke the Lensun panels.

There is no way that 200 watts of panels did 7.5kWh in one day.

 

In the peak of summer you would expect a max of about 8 times rated wattage so 1.6kWh ish.

 

My 1200watt array peaks at about 8kWh per day in summer.

[stegra]

There is no way that 200 watts of panels did 7.5kWh in one day.

 

In the peak of summer you would expect a max of about 8 times rated wattage so 1.6kWh ish.

 

My 1200watt array peaks at about 8kWh per day in summer.

 

I think the test was over a period of about two weeks.

[MtB]

 

I think the test was over a period of about two weeks.

 

 

And given the test panel appeared to be about twice the surface area of the other two, one wonders if the period of the test was stretched to massage the result too!

To be fair though, the panels were probably all the same nominal peak output. A more useful test would have been to compare the output of the three types of panel, each having the same surface area presented to the sun.

 

Also, comparisons with the panels tilted and tracking the sun compared with all lying flat would have been helpful too.