Solar-Powered Air Conditioning ?

[Tropicyachty]

Sleeping in the cockpit always worked for me! I had a boat with a great cockpit and the cockpit grate was built to rest on battens that leveled it with the rest of the cockpit. Basically at anchor the cockpit became a pit and sleep in the pit was the best!

[beau]

I have a 9,000btu reverse cycle panasonic air conditioner which has an inverter motor, low amp start.
In a small insulated cabin I run it after dark to dehumidify the cabin with a slight cooling effect (temp setting is 24 celsius) half an hour before going to bed.
I use a Kipor generator for power, with 1 liter of fuel, once the fuel runs out, that it.
We have a cold shower, a gut full of vodka and sleep well.
At least it gets the cabin cool and dry, and by that time the temperature has started to drop anyway.

Solar powered, you must be kidding??

By the way I like the fleece idea, but how do you wash the fleece?

[windhound]

Best way I have found to stay cool is with the use of 12-v fans and keeping my clothes off. A quick mist of water always helps, but lying under a fan at night, without the ability to run an A/C unit, is paramount.

[RaymondR]

I have mounted an 18" auto radiator fan on a swing down plywood hatch using cupboard bolts over the V berth where I sleep.


It created no end of problems.


The first problem was that it blew a gale when I ran it from 12V and at night it was sometimes too cold.


So I then ran it from 6V by using 1/2 a bank of 12V T105s - still blew a gale, was noisy and often still too cold.


So I then rewired it to 12V and installed a speed controller - stopped blowing a gale, and can be wound back to prevent being too cold at night but now the switching system in the speed controller makes the motor ring - there's no ultimate solutions in this yachting business.

[haiqu]

Solar powered aircon is called "wind." If you need a machine to keep cool, buy a condo.

[rwidman]

It's not practical to run an air conditioner on a boat from batteries or solar cells. Have you ever seen a boat from a factory set up to do this? The answer is "no" and the reason is, it's not practical.

Start by opening anything that lets air into the boat. Sleep naked.

If it's so hot you can't stand it, pull into a marina for the night and run your AC off shore power. You'll pay for a lot of marina nights with the money you save on batteries and solar panels. And, you can take a nice shower with unlimited water.

[ForTozs]

Perhaps I'm more of an optimist than many here, but I think solar powered AC is very realistic, if not now, in the not-so-distant future. There are several things you have to consider:

1. Size/Space of the system

2. Efficiency of the solar cells

3. Efficiency of the air conditioner

The first problem is quickly being overcome by thin cell photovoltaics and advances in battery technology. Check out this link:

Interesting Sailboats: SOLAR PANELS ON SAILS

It looks like a barge may not be necessary after all. Granted, thin cell solar panels on sails won't be as efficient as standard solar cells, but this is made up for in usable area. Supplementing this with standard solar cells (14.25 W/ft²) could leave you with a lot of power. A 14,000 btu AC might run at say 1500 W, so with a 12 hour day, you're looking upwards of about 200 ft² of cell area to power an AC this large. And keep in mind, this is using PV cells rated at 15.3% efficiency. When you consider that scientists have created solar cells with greater than 40% efficiency, you can begin to see that solar powered AC could be realistic. Also consider the efficiency gains in ACs in recent years and the things you can do to better insulate your cabin. Solar can be just one part of your energy solution. It is realistic. Someone just needs to have the money, knowhow, time, and energy to do it.

[ForTozs]

2.2 kW/h for this guy.

Alone Around Powered by UK — UK Sailmakers

[stu291]

Has anyone tried a chilipad?

[Seafarer7]

With a large enough battery bank (eg Lithium) and a good sized solar array, it is certainly possible to run AC off of batteries on a boat, and to recharge some or all via solar. Here is a couple who’ve done just that:
Gone with the Wynns:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=yjK1Gi_u6ss

[CatNewBee]

I think, it is doable, but not full-time and not all A/C units together.
But with a large inverter and one A/C you can chill the berth before
going to sleep lets say for one or two hours a little and that should be enough.

Recharging next day by solar should work too then.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, ForTozs.

[scarlet]

Why not try this?

https://www.chilitechnology.com/?utm...364f590ccfc9df

[houseofcharm]

Originally Posted by stu291

Has anyone tried a chilipad?

Hi all, 1st post and yes, years of using a Chilipad on land, not onboard. A great product that aided my post menopausal Admiral through overheated nights. Small fan noise is all and it lasted years until the compressor went.


Hope this helps.


Cheers,


jeff

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by scarlet

Why not try this?



https://www.chilitechnology.com/?utm...364f590ccfc9df

80 Watts about 6 amps is one reason