They're 130W which was up from the earlier model at 125W. Guess the even newer ones are something like 135 to 140W and I would guess for the same size???What wattage are those panels, John? ....They articulate similarly to yours, and this capability does make a world of difference, doesn't it!
And, Yes, it does make a nice difference, especially early or late in the day.
It would be nice to get the panels off the side because of the possible issue of easier theft, or perhaps a boat in a marina coming along side and damaging them. For a mounting up higher one issue I've always been concerned about is some line catching them, like maybe the topping lift if it was too loose, or who knows what. Of course, the same could be said of having them lower as the turning blocks for the spinnaker is right near where my panels are now, right under the covered outboard in the picture. Putting them overhead would allow for more panels then maybe enough power to run an electric outboard. Wouldn't that be nice?On our Albin Vega, I plan to either put panels on a bimini, or build a rack similar to what these two Swedes have on their Vega
As it is now, even on the good days, what I've got now would allow for dumping some excess power into the hot water heater if I had one of those 12DC/120VAC heater elements.
At the moment I've been using a water bag designed for heating water on the coachroof and dropping the hose down into the galley for washing dishes.
The sun is up there for all the free energy we can get.