Yup. It's possible. It's not
cheap, but it changes life aboard.
A few years ago, I commissioned and launched a 50'
catamaran with 1.75kw of
solar on the roof and 900Ah of 24V
lithium batteries. The
batteries and
inverter proved beefy enough to run two AC units for a few hours at a time, or a
single AC unit for 6 or so hours before the
generator needed to kick on. I also elected to install a DC
generator instead of an AC generator. Everything on the
boat is designed to run off the
battery bank. The
solar array,
engine alternators, and DC genset are there just to dump amps into the batteries.
It was an amazing setup. Crossing the Atlantic -- 6,000 miles from
South Africa to the
Caribbean -- the genset kicked on twice. And we only motored for half a day across the doldrums. The joy of lots of solar and big batteries allowed for life aboard to resemble apartment living (big
screen TV, fridges, freezers, hot
water, even AC for brief spells).
This was a far cry from my first 5 years living on a
boat, where I didn't have a
shower or
toilet. Nothing wrong with either kind of sailing if you ask me; this thread is about what's possible, not what's necessary.
When I got to
Australia for my first
refit in three years, I decided to add more solar and two more batteries to my
current system. Part of the reason for adding the solar was to extend the
bimini out to either side for more shade and rain protection in the
cockpit /
helm. I was also hoping (dreaming, really) of having a system where AC can be run during sunny days without draining the batteries.
This isn't to sit in the AC on beautiful days; it's to control humidity, mildew, and the wear-and-tear of moisture and a
marine environment on personal
electronics,
clothing, bedding, etc. I live full-time on my boat, and I spend a lot of time in the tropics at
anchor in very
remote places. Energy independence without sacrificing comfort was the pie-in-the-sky dream. This week, I saw that it is possible.
With 4 more high efficiency 350W LG
solar panels, total wattage is now just north of 3kw. Two more Mastervolt batteries gives the 24V bank a total of 1,260Ah.
On a very sunny and abnormally humid day in
Australia, we launched the boat and ran the AC for the first time. With the
compressor running, the solar was still putting over 20 amps into the batteries!
Cooling and dehumidifying the boat while topping up the batteries at the same time!
What I love about this setup is you only need the
power when you have the
power. When the sun is blasting, you get free
air conditioning. And by free, I mean the
panels and batteries cost an arm and a leg. But once you have them, life at
anchor can be whatever kind of life you prefer.
Battery and solar prices keep coming down while efficiencies go up. I hope what I'm seeing on my boat becomes the norm one day. Fewer generators being installed, more
electric engines, more happy cruisers who are out enjoying the nice
weather instead of doing the bedding again or treating the forepeak for mildew.
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