Looking At Solar
- Thread starter Greengas
- Start date
FYI, we may try and make the Hobie event at Aurora on Saturday May 14.. If we do Ill look for you (we will be in the grey Hobie TI shown in a picture on this thread). I mostly sail at Cherry Creek and Elevenmile and once per season at Grandby in August..
I agree....
anyone who is sizing their system based on the listed wattage of the panels, without taking all the other variables in to consideration will be disappointed with what they end up with.
by taking the listed wattage of the panel, and dividing it in half, and using that number to build on, a person will experience the output from the system that he was targeting, most of the time, and a bit higher a lot of the time... for several years.
the wattage rating on the panel is a lab result in perfect conditions, and if you meet those conditions, all the time, you will get that amount of wattage from the panel.... until it ages a little bit.
in the real world, cut the lab rating by 50% and design your system using that number. you will be happy that you did.
a solar array should last many years if installed correctly with decent equipment, and the cost is so very little more than using the cheap or under sized equipment, so there is no reason to not use good panels, sized properly, and insuring your needs will be covered for a long time.....
and as we cant always foresee what kind of power consuming devices we may want to have on our boat in the future, a bigger system is always better than a smaller system....
For the past few years, my Capri 22 has been on a mooring in Boston Harbor. It has 4 GC2 lead-acid batteries in series feeding a Torqeedo Cruise 2.0 (effectively a 5 hp outboard). An array of three different sized Ganz flexible/walk-on-able 12 volt panels mounted flush on the foredeck. A Genasun MPPT boost controller raises the voltage to the proper 24 volt charging levels. (A separate Genasun MPPT controller is used to charge the 12 volt "house" battery.
I did try a smaller Minn Kota Endura 50. It works okay for maneuvering around the ramps and mooring areas, but was insufficient when the winds, waves, and currents picked up. The trolling motor propellers have a 4 inch pitch while the Torqeedo has a 10 inch pitch (and lots of low end torque).
I go out once or twice a week. The batteries have always recharged by my next use. Often I am late for the start so we go almost full throttle crossing the Harbor at just under hull speed. With a full charge I can go hull speed for 2 hours. At 2 to 3 knots, I can go 16+ hours.
For a trailer sailor or a day sailer this type of setup works very well. I never have to worry about the condition of the gas.
I did try a smaller Minn Kota Endura 50. It works okay for maneuvering around the ramps and mooring areas, but was insufficient when the winds, waves, and currents picked up. The trolling motor propellers have a 4 inch pitch while the Torqeedo has a 10 inch pitch (and lots of low end torque).
I go out once or twice a week. The batteries have always recharged by my next use. Often I am late for the start so we go almost full throttle crossing the Harbor at just under hull speed. With a full charge I can go hull speed for 2 hours. At 2 to 3 knots, I can go 16+ hours.
For a trailer sailor or a day sailer this type of setup works very well. I never have to worry about the condition of the gas.