Kim,
A few weeks ago I helped the owner install a solar system on a 35 foot
Hughes Columbia. I am sitting on the boat in Bahamas as I write, and our
experience so far is that a 200 watt system almost keeps up with the
refrigerator. The boat is also equipped with an Air Breeze wind generator, but
that seldom contributes very much. The installation consists of two 100 watt
rigid panels, U bolted to the Bimini tubing, along with a 20 A charge
controller. Total cost was less than $400, not including an ammeter that I
brought from home. House battery consists of 2 group 31 and one group 27
flooded cell batteries, all hard wired in parallel.
The rigid panels are fairly strong, and you see them bolted to just about
any convenient spot on the sail boats here, or simply arranged on deck or set
at an angle in behind the life lines when at anchor.
One thing we didn't do yet, and which should be done, is to place an
adequately sized diode in series with each panel that is paralleled in the
system. This will reduce the risk of a shaded panel pulling down the whole
system. We did add a more or less vertical support to each side of the Bimini
to increase its load bearing capacity, but that may have been over kill. I
guess you would only know if you didn't put one in, and had a mechanical
failure.
Anyway, that is our experience so far.
Steve Thomas
C&C27 MKIII
Port Stanley, ON
> From: [email protected]
> To: [email protected]
> Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 14:52:01 -0400
> Subject: Stus-List Flexible Solar panels
>
> All,
> Looking to add some solar. Currently I am only good for about a day at
> anchor before I have to address the batteries. Main draw is the reefer.
> (wife has short hair and have gone with LEDs) We were anchored out this
> past weekend and by the end of day 2 the batteries (2x grp 31h - 110 amp hrs
> each) were about out of juice. Warm beer is not an option. Hate running the
> engine at anchor; don't have any room for another battery without major
> work; not enough wind around here to make wind work. No dinghy davits or
> other structure to put rigid panels on..... SO anyone have any experience
> with the semi flexible solar panels that you can attach (Velcro) to your
> bimini top? Not looking to trickle charge to top off- I am at a dock at the
> house and can plug in when home as needed. I need to keep the beer cold at
> anchor on day 2-3.
>
> Kim Brown
> Trust Me!!! 35-3
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album
> http://www.cncphotoalbum.com
> [email protected]
_______________________________________________
This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album
http://www.cncphotoalbum.com
[email protected]
