Solar Panels 32' Sloop

[Elzaar]

Some great insights there in managing your loads to work with the sun. I just saw from another thread that ice is roughly three times more efficient at storing energy than lead battery and a bit better than Lithium. So, the ice for drinks isnt just a joke to me any more.

I am using 12 Volt carbon foam batteries (Firefly). They are basically a lead version battery that gets you about halfway to Lifepo without the cost or complexity. I looked hard at LifePo, but at least at my skill level I felt they were too finicky and too expensive. Nigel Calder has been field testing them for a couple years now. LifePo certainly is easier to find space for.

By the time I got down to the boat yesterday it was cooling off. It was in the 80s here yesterday, but closer to 70 when I was there. I wasnt sure the best way to really evaluate the cooling of the greenhouse panels. I took a pic including the heat readings of the solar panel surface and the surface next to it, which in some respects may really show that what surface the panel is mounted to is the biggest variation in temperature. The bimini panel mounted to dark blue sunbrella was at 95 degrees while the sunbrella itself was 102 degrees. The panel mounted to the white king starboard at effectively same angle and same location was 81 degrees while the adjacent starboard was at 77 degrees (I apparently failed to get a pic of the last measurement). My quick conclusion is that the polycarbonate appears to be reducing the panel temperature by at least a few percent, assuming hat the black panel should be at least as warm as the dark blue or white surface it is mounted to.

Gotta run to the boat today to sail, so more details later perhaps .

[rgleason]

Elzaar wrote

My quick conclusion is that the polycarbonate appears to be reducing the panel temperature by at least a few percent,

I see the double wall clear polycarbonate under your panels. Thank you for measure temps and the photos give a good idea of the details. It is a very nice installation and the hard dodger and bimini give good sight lines from the helm. Over all I would rate this integration of solar quite efffective.

I wish Firefly were made in a couple of different shapes/heights because they are likely to be too tall for under my seats. I did look at stacking them sideways in a port cabin behind seat locker that is outboard. It was a somewhat ludicrous location that I never got attached to.


I am shifting alternator comments over to another thread of mine. here

[Elzaar]

Yeah, I actually used three 4 Volts wired together. If the G31s wont fit, the L15s definitely won't.

[Elzaar]

And thanks for the compliment! A LOT of time and thought went in to it, as I'm sure most people do.

[rgleason]

Barnakiel,

I confirm that it would be the Victron SmartSolar Charge Controller MPPT 100/30
so I can add the third 100w 24v panel and Monitor and record output and charging with Bluetooth.


Thanks so much for getting me out of trying to put small panels on my too small dodger and just using the best solar gathering place at the stern. Big help.

[Hugo B]

I am interested in this topic but from a cost perspective. What roughly would it cost to have a new bimini frame constructed with two solar panels mounted on top and everything connected up to the battery bank?
Thanks
Hugo

[akopac]

Originally Posted by rgleason

akopac I really like your approach. The removable swing panels give you lots of flexibility and adjustments. It is a practical solution that augments solar output and allows you to remove them for storms.

Do you think this would work on a smaller boat that does not have the same freeboard? You say you deploy them while sailing. I am afraid we'd be dragging our panels through the water on the lee side sometimes. I guess you just don't have them winged out then.

This could be done in steps. First get the two panels and mount them on the stern pulpit rails. Then fabricate the swing gates and mount the panels there. Ideally these could be bifacing panels, taking reflections of the water.

I had been hoping to get some additional shade in the form of bimini panels, but I suppose you could even have both the rail mounted swing gates port and starboard and some bimini panels.

Thanks for posting the idea and the pictures.

We do swing them out under way. We try to minimize heal under way. The boat goes up and down with the swells and the panels too. In our case th aft pulpit is maybe 6’ to top of rail. You might be able to get a pair on either side of the aft pulpit.
I actually have a 15 ft extension cable with disconnects and a flexible panel to go on top of an awning that goes over the mizzen boom too. It makes it even more flexible. You can throw it anywhere and bungee cord it in the rigging.

I did want to note the angle adjustment using the 1/8” tent line tension adjustment method. This was so simple and foolproof. Could be used in other ways.

[waterman46]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

I have been interested in rail mounted panels for a little while now. What has been your experience with them on the rails? Have you had salt water damage or crust on the panels? Have you done any raft ups and if so, are they more susceptible to damage?



I had a neighbor in the marina with two large panels port and starboard aft. The boat was an HR around 45 feet and he's been transAt several times. The boat I am putting them on is just doing short coastal sails. I want to experiment before I put stuff on the cruising boat. I was thinking of the rails as I don't have davits. Also, I often fold up the Bimini so the rails, in theory, are the place to mount them.

We have two Siemens panels mounted on the forward vertical post of the aft railing. A DIY arrangement of SS tubing and various fittings allows the panels to be swiveled out over the water and at any angle to optimize output.

These panels when in stored position lie against the lifelines between 6' and 10' from the stern of our 46' boat. Panels were installed in 2004 and there has been no visible damage due to corrosion. Since they are so old the output is now about 70% of new, but otherwisw they are fine.

In that time, boat has spent about 4 years full time on tropical West coast between 2 trips to San Francisco.

[rgleason]

Hugo, I don't know where you are, or how big a bimini but I think a bimini professionally made might cost $300-700 for the pipework. Also homemade ones in stainless steel pipe $200-$400 for materials & bender. This does not include the solar.

For my solar (rough)
(2) 100w-24v Panels = $300 + maybe a third panel (Weight 16lbs apiece) 40" x 26" x 1.5
(4) Cables and MC4 Plugs about 20' =$100
(4) Deck glands = $50
(1) Victron MPPT Smartsolar Controller 100/20 =$230
Say $700

Originally Posted by Hugo B

I am interested in this topic but from a cost perspective. What roughly would it cost to have a new bimini frame constructed with two solar panels mounted on top and everything connected up to the battery bank?
Thanks
Hugo

[rgleason]

Originally Posted by waterman46

We have two Siemens panels mounted on the forward vertical post of the aft railing. A DIY arrangement of SS tubing and various fittings allows the panels to be swiveled out over the water and at any angle to optimize output.

These panels when in stored position lie against the lifelines between 6' and 10' from the stern of our 46' boat. Panels were installed in 2004 and there has been no visible damage due to corrosion. Since they are so old the output is now about 70% of new, but otherwisw they are fine.

In that time, boat has spent about 4 years full time on tropical West coast between 2 trips to San Francisco.

Waterman can you attach some photos of these panels and the mounting details? and perhaps the panel information? and how you ran the wires?

How do you use them? How often do you find yourself changing them? Where are they when you are sailing?

It would be very instructive as I am thinking about how to do this now. Thanks.

[Hugo B]

Great, thanks, this gives me a good idea of cost. Not as bad as I thought actually.

[rgleason]

I just noticed a problem with the 40a
Renogy 12V DC to DC On-Board Battery Charger
RNG-DCC1212-40-BC


I was hoping to use. It is 12Vdc to 12Vdc. Perhaps they have 24v, but I havent found it, so I'll need to look elsewhere if this is the configuration I end up using.

[akopac]

Originally Posted by rgleason

Looking at the AltE offerings overall, if a single big panel would fit somewhere, the
Q.PEAK DUO L-G5.3-390 390w 40.3v 9.96a $244 panel would be ideal. Alas that is not the case.

Check out this Carbon Fiber tube connector system from Dragon

I went with renegy if that helps at all

[rgleason]

See this post in double sided Fly Panels for reference, about alternatives shown in this thread for installation.

[rgleason]

Tracker Pole Mount Solar solution.


Installation Examples, some showing solar DHW domestic hot water on the back of the panel.