I am wondering what's out there for solar chargers for the two 12volt batteries on my Oday 25. I imagine there are many people out there who have some knowledge of this equipment. I'm interested in hearing experiences, best equipment, sources. Thanks
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a solar charge
hey Tim, check out "West Marine" Siemens Solar Industries/ solar charging system for deep cycle batteries @ $129.99 (this months flyer) I picked one up monday, a friend used this model all season and said it worked great, he uses it all the time he's not onboard. it wont charge a dead battery but it keeps things crisp (since a battery looses power without use) good luck RichJ
hey Tim, check out "West Marine" Siemens Solar Industries/ solar charging system for deep cycle batteries @ $129.99 (this months flyer) I picked one up monday, a friend used this model all season and said it worked great, he uses it all the time he's not onboard. it wont charge a dead battery but it keeps things crisp (since a battery looses power without use) good luck RichJ
Ebay good source
Last February I bought a 10watt panel for $40.00 on Ebay. It kept my battery charged the whole 6 month season with out any other devises. I used the boat from Friday night to Sunday almost every weekend. I bought it as an unframed glass unit for which I built a frame. It was 12" x 36". I only put it on deck While I was on the boat. I watched TV almost every night I was on the boat. The VHF was on ( Shakespear .02 amp standby draw)during the day. I used a propane or oil lamp for light at night. r.w.landau
Last February I bought a 10watt panel for $40.00 on Ebay. It kept my battery charged the whole 6 month season with out any other devises. I used the boat from Friday night to Sunday almost every weekend. I bought it as an unframed glass unit for which I built a frame. It was 12" x 36". I only put it on deck While I was on the boat. I watched TV almost every night I was on the boat. The VHF was on ( Shakespear .02 amp standby draw)during the day. I used a propane or oil lamp for light at night. r.w.landau
My Experiences
Tim you did not mention the size of your battery banks(in Amps), or how much your looking to replace. Other factors are physical size of the solar charger, and how they will be mounted. I have the same boat, and have 2 2A units mounted on my bimini (see picture in photo forum). Given the realities of latitude, cloud cover, and loss through wiring, I figure I get about 1/2 of their rated output. So thats 2A, over a 8 hour day for about 15-20 amphours. That would be about 6 hours of running my Koolatron, while on the hook. Its help, but if I was looking to really replace my power consumption I would probably need 10A units. While these exist, they are very large and very expensive. I bought mine for about $120 each at my local Canadian Tire store. I have room to mount one more unit on my bimini. If your looking to keep the house bank topped up through the week while at the dock, I still would not get anything much smaller. Depending on the size of your battery bank you want to charge, you may need a charge regulator. Probably a 2-5 A one will suffice. These are about $40, and prevent the chargers from overcharging your batts. Most also have diodes internal to prevent back flow of electricity from the batt to the panel, when the sun goes down. There are a lot of good sites that discuss the use of solar energy. Do a search at Yahoo and you will be amazed. I am also including an email I recently received from another list I belong to. Although meant for a bigger installation there are some interesting facts within. Hope it all helps. Don "I am leaning towards the Kyocera panels, but still doing research. Here is what I have found so far and my reasoning behind my pick. I narrowed my search pretty quickly to the following manufacturers: 1. Kyocera 2. Siemens 3. Unisolar The reason for selecting those three have to do with performance and warranties primarily but also include robustness and electrical characteristics. See below. The first requirement is, of course, to charge the batteries as quickly as possible. This means high output panels unless you have a lot more acreage available than is usually found on a boat. Why so fast? Vagrities of weather make the old adage "make hay while the sun shines" very apropos here.
Of the three makers, the panels in contention were 1. Kyocera KC-120 2. Siemens SR-100 3. Unisolar US-64 These were the largest available from each company. As you can see, Unisolar US-64 panels are handicapped by low output. They are further handicapped by their large size (hardly any smaller than the KC-120 panels) relative to their output. Why even consider them? They are far and away the most robust panels on the market. They are literally bulletproof. Also, they are the only panel that offers complete (i.e., diode between each cell) shade protection. These are strong recommendations, but the drawbacks remain; large panels and low relative output. The Siemens SR-100 panels are very well constructed, relatively high output and have a 20 year warranty. The warranty is pro-rated, however, making it less attractive than it sounds on first contact. They offer no advantages over the more powerful Kyoceras. The Kyocera KC-120 had the greatest output over the widest range of environments of any of the panels. Heat resistance is good, output per unit of area is above average. They have the longest warranty in the business, 25 years. The panels have two diodes to prevent increased internal resistance from shutting them down when partially shaded. This is not as good as the Unisolars, but a KC-120 would have to be shaded over 1/4 of its total area or more to go into shutdown mode, and then it would only be the one panel. Shadows from standing rigging will not produce enough shade to shut down the panel or the entire array. Since we are going to install 4 panels, output will be high enough to overcome any slight losses caused by shade. It appears at this time the Kyoceras will win. It is hard to beat over 7 amps x 4 panels for output. I intend to make these amps "go further' by using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller. There are at least two manufacturers of these devices which I think might be key to total reliance on solar energy. Take a look at http://www.rvpowerproducts.com/pdf/SB50datasheet.pdf for the technical data. A friend recommended I research these things and I was skeptical at first. I am no longer skeptical. (Added note, I am looking closely at the performance characteristics of a MPPT controller over the temperature ranges likely to be encountered in liveaboard conditions. This might change my mind about using one as it appears the maximum benefit of MPPT is achieved at lower temperatures. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller such as those made by Morningstar might be more cost effective) I will keep you posted as I continue my search, but the KC-120 panels look like they will be hard to beat."
Tim you did not mention the size of your battery banks(in Amps), or how much your looking to replace. Other factors are physical size of the solar charger, and how they will be mounted. I have the same boat, and have 2 2A units mounted on my bimini (see picture in photo forum). Given the realities of latitude, cloud cover, and loss through wiring, I figure I get about 1/2 of their rated output. So thats 2A, over a 8 hour day for about 15-20 amphours. That would be about 6 hours of running my Koolatron, while on the hook. Its help, but if I was looking to really replace my power consumption I would probably need 10A units. While these exist, they are very large and very expensive. I bought mine for about $120 each at my local Canadian Tire store. I have room to mount one more unit on my bimini. If your looking to keep the house bank topped up through the week while at the dock, I still would not get anything much smaller. Depending on the size of your battery bank you want to charge, you may need a charge regulator. Probably a 2-5 A one will suffice. These are about $40, and prevent the chargers from overcharging your batts. Most also have diodes internal to prevent back flow of electricity from the batt to the panel, when the sun goes down. There are a lot of good sites that discuss the use of solar energy. Do a search at Yahoo and you will be amazed. I am also including an email I recently received from another list I belong to. Although meant for a bigger installation there are some interesting facts within. Hope it all helps. Don "I am leaning towards the Kyocera panels, but still doing research. Here is what I have found so far and my reasoning behind my pick. I narrowed my search pretty quickly to the following manufacturers: 1. Kyocera 2. Siemens 3. Unisolar The reason for selecting those three have to do with performance and warranties primarily but also include robustness and electrical characteristics. See below. The first requirement is, of course, to charge the batteries as quickly as possible. This means high output panels unless you have a lot more acreage available than is usually found on a boat. Why so fast? Vagrities of weather make the old adage "make hay while the sun shines" very apropos here.
Of the three makers, the panels in contention were 1. Kyocera KC-120 2. Siemens SR-100 3. Unisolar US-64 These were the largest available from each company. As you can see, Unisolar US-64 panels are handicapped by low output. They are further handicapped by their large size (hardly any smaller than the KC-120 panels) relative to their output. Why even consider them? They are far and away the most robust panels on the market. They are literally bulletproof. Also, they are the only panel that offers complete (i.e., diode between each cell) shade protection. These are strong recommendations, but the drawbacks remain; large panels and low relative output. The Siemens SR-100 panels are very well constructed, relatively high output and have a 20 year warranty. The warranty is pro-rated, however, making it less attractive than it sounds on first contact. They offer no advantages over the more powerful Kyoceras. The Kyocera KC-120 had the greatest output over the widest range of environments of any of the panels. Heat resistance is good, output per unit of area is above average. They have the longest warranty in the business, 25 years. The panels have two diodes to prevent increased internal resistance from shutting them down when partially shaded. This is not as good as the Unisolars, but a KC-120 would have to be shaded over 1/4 of its total area or more to go into shutdown mode, and then it would only be the one panel. Shadows from standing rigging will not produce enough shade to shut down the panel or the entire array. Since we are going to install 4 panels, output will be high enough to overcome any slight losses caused by shade. It appears at this time the Kyoceras will win. It is hard to beat over 7 amps x 4 panels for output. I intend to make these amps "go further' by using a maximum power point tracking (MPPT) controller. There are at least two manufacturers of these devices which I think might be key to total reliance on solar energy. Take a look at http://www.rvpowerproducts.com/pdf/SB50datasheet.pdf for the technical data. A friend recommended I research these things and I was skeptical at first. I am no longer skeptical. (Added note, I am looking closely at the performance characteristics of a MPPT controller over the temperature ranges likely to be encountered in liveaboard conditions. This might change my mind about using one as it appears the maximum benefit of MPPT is achieved at lower temperatures. A PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controller such as those made by Morningstar might be more cost effective) I will keep you posted as I continue my search, but the KC-120 panels look like they will be hard to beat."about using solar
I am using 4 solar 33watts panels flexable on top of the bimini and a 25 amp regulator. I have two deep cycle battries series 27 and have had very good results up to a week at anchor using an inferter to run radio and c-pap machine plus lights and cd player. Write me for more info if you like. My e-mail address is sailr000@netzero.net
I am using 4 solar 33watts panels flexable on top of the bimini and a 25 amp regulator. I have two deep cycle battries series 27 and have had very good results up to a week at anchor using an inferter to run radio and c-pap machine plus lights and cd player. Write me for more info if you like. My e-mail address is sailr000@netzero.net
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