I guess the post about "solar panels above the davits will be shaded often" meant a mounting directly above the davits, not 2 meters up.
I thought i had posted my solar design here, but just saw that it is only in the "Purchasing and commissioning" thread. So here it goes:
We installed two identical systems on L450 hulls #130 and #132 while commissioning in Les Sables. We managed to get a pallet of 10
Kyocera KD190 for 200 Euro each.
Each
installation consists of:
5 KD190 190W (total 950W) solar panels $1400
1 solar
cables, connectors, fuse about $100
1 Outback FlexMax80 $700 each.
2
aluminum profiles 50mm by 90mm $180.
2 stainless tubes 25mm $50
4 stainless end-caps $25
2 attachment plates for on top of posts $250
1
cables, connectors, fuse $50
Total = less than $3k
2 holes to drill in the cockpit roof for the middle hinge for the forward profile.
1 hole to drill in the aft of the boat for the solar cables to pass in.
All major attachment points use existing structure. No extra holes to drill, no welding to be done. All can and has been done with simple hand tools.
Real world performance data
- Max 71A
- 450+Ah in summer in the
Med
- 350+Ah in March in
Turks and Caicos
The total weight of all support structure is about 30kg.
5 KD 190 are 80Kg together, charger is about 6kg
The total weight is about 116kg
The windage is minimal. We crossed the Atlantic with 45 knots from the aft without any high loads on them.
The panels provided additional functions.
- Rain protection - without them the back rest of the seat in the cockpit gets wet even with no wind. With the solar panels extending almost 1m aft of the cockpit roof, it needs some wind to drive the rain into the cockpit.
- Sun protection - great when it gets too hot. Lower them for even more shade early morning and late afternoon.
- Extra spot to put a cloth line
- Attachment point for a 6-times
purchase to pull
overboard person out of the
water.
- Attachment point to hoist
dinghy motor.