A month or so ago, I asked about solar panels as it pertains to my needs. You can see the discussion here...
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1031646&highlight=another solar discussion
I thought I'd share my installation and early results.
The install is fairly straightforward but I gave myself the option to tilt and rotate the panels to the sun when the need or occasion arises.
The panels are 60 watts each and at full sun, I had a hard time turning enough "stuff" on to show any current draw on my Victron. They more than keep up with the refrigeration which was really the ultimate goal. Above and beyond that it's all gravy. They're keeping up with the autopilot and radar as well, although that was just a quick check at the height of the day.
Needless to say, I'm quite pleased! The big test will come in a couple of weeks when we sail to Canadian waters and we'll be away from shorepower for a couple of weeks. I'll update again after that.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?p=1031646&highlight=another solar discussion
I thought I'd share my installation and early results.
The install is fairly straightforward but I gave myself the option to tilt and rotate the panels to the sun when the need or occasion arises.
The panels are 60 watts each and at full sun, I had a hard time turning enough "stuff" on to show any current draw on my Victron. They more than keep up with the refrigeration which was really the ultimate goal. Above and beyond that it's all gravy. They're keeping up with the autopilot and radar as well, although that was just a quick check at the height of the day.
Needless to say, I'm quite pleased! The big test will come in a couple of weeks when we sail to Canadian waters and we'll be away from shorepower for a couple of weeks. I'll update again after that.
