Only Solar

[hellosailor]

I'm not sure of what they are selling there. They list:
"WAI-Transpo premium rectifier featuring press-fit avalanche diodes
WAI-Transpo premium regulator with 20A MOSFET field transistor "
And WAI is a company that makes alternator components, as far as I know for the rebuild market not the NEW market. You can call Delco directly to find out if that alternator is new--or remanufactured. If you match the pulley size to your engine flywheel, and spin the alternator at 6000+ shaft rpm, you'll get the rated output from it. Since automotive alternators inevitably have pulleys for ribbed belts, you may need to spend $100 at a machine shop and get a pulley custom-made for the right diameter to get you the speed range you want (covering idle to cruising) and matching your v-belt.

One small problem, v-belts start slipping around 80 amps, you'd have to tension it carefully in order to get it to hold at 100A service--if it will hold. You might want to check with Goodyear or Gates to see if the V-belt series you have CAN take that load.

Bear in mind that's an automotive regulator. Even though it has dual fans, it isn't "marinized" with flame arrestors, etc. so it would probably make most diesel users happy--but be illegal for use with a gasoline engine.

[Divecoz]

Shot in the dark here . . . Like finding a needle in a haystack One might never find but 50 would find it in a day.
So where might I get the biggest bang for the buck watt for the dollar in solar panels? Maximum dimensions I have to play with is for two panels 30" x 19"
I have been looking for quite awhile there are 1000's of solar sights by the way.

[Divecoz]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I'm not sure of what they are selling there. They list:
"WAI-Transpo premium rectifier featuring press-fit avalanche diodes
WAI-Transpo premium regulator with 20A MOSFET field transistor "
And WAI is a company that makes alternator components, as far as I know for the rebuild market not the NEW market. You can call Delco directly to find out if that alternator is new--or remanufactured. If you match the pulley size to your engine flywheel, and spin the alternator at 6000+ shaft rpm, you'll get the rated output from it. Since automotive alternators inevitably have pulleys for ribbed belts, you may need to spend $100 at a machine shop and get a pulley custom-made for the right diameter to get you the speed range you want (covering idle to cruising) and matching your v-belt.

One small problem, v-belts start slipping around 80 amps, you'd have to tension it carefully in order to get it to hold at 100A service--if it will hold. You might want to check with Goodyear or Gates to see if the V-belt series you have CAN take that load.

Bear in mind that's an automotive regulator. Even though it has dual fans, it isn't "marinized" with flame arrestors, etc. so it would probably make most diesel users happy--but be illegal for use with a gasoline engine.

Get a toothed drive belt off a Harley??? No slip no matter the rpm and you"ll never exceed its max HP rating.

[Jentine]

Originally Posted by Divecoz

Shot in the dark here . . . Like finding a needle in a haystack One might never find but 50 would find it in a day.
So where might I get the biggest bang for the buck watt for the dollar in solar panels? Maximum dimensions I have to play with is for two panels 30" x 19"
I have been looking for quite awhile there are 1000's of solar sights by the way.

I have found the best prices here:

Compare all brands Solar panels at the Lowest Prices. Low prices on all solar power components. Let us design your solar energy project.

[Strygaldwir]

The price of the panels is one thing. Make certain to check on the shipping. I had a panel delivered from Nevada. They would not tell me how much the shipping was going to be. When I got the panel in Florida, I found the shipping was $200. I was... annoyed!

[schoonerdog]

As far as efficiency, right now Sunpower solar panels is leading the pack. At the Solar Decathlon in DC (in which different universities compete to build the best completely solar powered homes) all of the groups I saw were using only sunpower panels as it gave them a competitive edge where the size of their roofs were limited by contest rules. http://www.sunpowercorp.com/Products...PWR205_DS.ashx

[waterworldly]

Are Sunpower Panels Marine Rated?

[Divecoz]

Originally Posted by waterworldly

Are Sunpower Panels Marine Rated?

I am not finding the answer to that question or the availability of an array of sizes suitable for marine purposes. Should I believe that weatherpoof is weather proof????

[waterworldly]

I would think that if they were for a marine environment, there would be a difference in the connectors etc. due to the sun and salt water exposure. I think they would put that usage on the website if they felt their product would hold up. Remember that the guys that used them in the competition only needed them to last through the competition, not around the world! I would also assume that you might have a problem collecting on the warranty (we never said they were for salt water environment . . . cause they don't!)

[schoonerdog]

Sunpower is warranteed as long as any of them, 25 years. As I was looking around, I saw that Sharp, Siemans, BP, et al have have a specific exclusion in the fine print that's come out in the last 5 years (not warrantied if any evidence is found of salt water exposure, not warrantied if placed upon a boat, etc). The boating market is a very small market for any solar panel manufacturer and very few if any provide a product for "marine appications". I called one of the flexible panel providers to ask them about it and basically they found reduced the warrantee because many times people were mounting solar panels on surfaces that were moving a lot or in places where they would heel and create direct contact with salt water. They all seemed to be internally wired together in a very similar way.

[hellosailor]

Expect nothing will be more than what they put in writing. "Weatherproof" means designed to be installed on the roof of your house. Salt air and splashing in marine environment isn't just "weather" it is way harsher.

For whatever reason, AFAIK there are no automotive alternator belts using toothed belts. From what I'm told the job is too hard for them, they'll tear apart too often. The whole industry moved to ribbed serpentine belts a long time ago.

As for bang and the buck...There are only a dozen or so panel MAKERS. Not thousands. Take your dimensions, look at three makers, you'll find they all pretty much hit the same output power limits for that size. Sounds like about a 50W panel size offhand. There are no radical new photocell types, you'll probably find one or another maker comes closer to your maximum size, and whatever it is, it is. you'll have some options in warranty terms, price, and perhaps crystalline-vs-not, but the power output won't be radically different for any given size.

[Jentine]

Sunpower claims to only have panels for home and industrial applications and are intended for grid supply. I can find no information indicating that they have panels suitable in size and wattage for marine use. The other thing I can't find is a price. I have looked on several sites and they only indicate that they are:

"All-purpose solar panels
Applications:

Grid-connected applications
Rooftop systems and power plants

Features:

72 series connected A-300 solar cells
High power density with total panel conversion efficiency approaching 17 percent
Power rating of 220 and 210 watts respectively

SPR-220-WHT (PDF)
SPR-210-WHT (PDF)"*
* reproduced from monstercommercesites.com

I had to get creative to mount 480 watts of solar panels in small pieces. Where can one hope to mount these monster panels?

[bill good]

Jentine,
I am about to install the same type & wire them in series to get 80v @ 5A & run then thru a MX60. I think 400w should do my job.

Regards Bill Goodward

[hellosailor]

Bill-
Unless you need the 80V to overcome voltage drops in the wiring, you might be better off with 2x40V configuration. Bear in mind that when everything is in series, any shadow on any one cell will reduce the output of the whole system. But if you split into two sets in parallel, and only one is shadowed (or damaged) it doesn't affect output form the other half.
Elsewhere there is also mention that many manufacturers with 25-year warranties, are cutting those back to five years in marine/shipboard use, so you may want to confirm the warranty terms in writing, too.

[schoonerdog]

Yeah, I think sunpower is the leader, but I too can't find a place to buy them. The guys in the solar decathlon have connections we don't! OK, so I have sharp solars with a panel efficiency of 13% and a cell efficiency of 17%. Not quite as good, but two years ago it was the best available.