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Thread: Solar Systems

  1. Solar Systems

    Has anyone done a solar setup to run the boat at night, what kind/how many batteries does it take to run a boat all night if your power use was about 1800-2000 watts at night? I'm thinking a full load at night is around 1500-2000 watts if your running the ship service with heaters.

    what kind of solar panels would be best on a boat, ways to protect them? Would maybe just a few solar pannels work, build a big battery bank and let the genny do most of the charging work in short periods? Has anyone done anything like this?
    ---/Neosin/--GulfCoastCruisers.us-----
    1972 Hatteras 44 TC "Blessed Luxury" (pic) Gone but still loved!


    Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

  2. #2

    Surprise answer - Solar Systems

    Here's a surprise answer to your solar question. The SSCA site has major discussions about solar, including selection, installations and costs.

    The surprise is that one engineer/economist ran a comparative cost analysis and found, much to the chagrin of all the sailors on that site, that just running your generator was in fact cheaper and more efficient over both the short run and the long run than anything a solar system could put up.

    Check it out. I was very surprised, but pleased that I would not have to bother with solar.

  3. Re: Solar Systems

    This is true.... My 8k onan uses very little fuel in a 24 hour period.

    Maybe i should just look at a small system to keep the batteries charged in the 4 months we don't use A/C or heaters and just like hanging on the hook. After looking at some i don't think that it would be very hard to build a 200-600 watt array just on top of the fly bridge or main deck. Would make a perfect backup system as well... As I see it this space is not being used for anything and should be working for me. Ah what about sitting at the dock all that time. What about sending the left over power back into the grid... Seeting how my dock bill is 350 dollars, i wonder how hard it would be to build a system that would make this much in a month. Granted i'd have to give up my covered slip! AHH LOL...

    I've even thought about fold out arrays on out rigger type setup.
    ---/Neosin/--GulfCoastCruisers.us-----
    1972 Hatteras 44 TC "Blessed Luxury" (pic) Gone but still loved!


    Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. (2 Tim. 2:15)

  4. #4

    Re: Solar Systems

    You have a COVERED SLIP?

  5. #5

    Re: Solar Systems

    A covered slip is GOLDEN!

    I would give my left knut for one. That alone saves you tons of money on exterior maintenance and repairs.

    As for the solar, anything is possible. It's only money.

  6. #6

    Re: Solar Systems

    Don't waste your money. The investment will never pay for itself.

    The average I've seen is about 10 watts per sq foot of panel; SCREW THAT.

  7. #7

    Re: Solar Systems

    unfortunately, the numbers don't add up unless you drastically reduce your electrical needs.

    with the fridge (full size with freezer, a few lights, TVs, some microwave / electric grill, Expresso maker) we use about 400 AH a day out of the 880 AH bank (8 GC batteries).

    A 10sq ft 130W solar panel yields 40 AH a day according to the numbers in the WM catalog. we'd need TEN of these @ $1250...

    granted, this is WM prices and rough calculation... Maybe 8 would work but still a lot of money.. I guess on a 53, it could be built into a hard top on the FB although thats about 300lbs of panels !

    let see... even if I shop around, that's still about 10k worth of panels or 3000 hours of generator time... takes 3 hours a day for the genny to recharge the batteries, will take 1000 days for the panel to be worth it.

    assuming 40 weekends a year on the hook... that's 25 years to recoup the cost. And we still dont' have Air Con on the 4 summer months we need it the most.

    doesn't add up, does it? maybe Al Gore can make it work :-)
    Pascal
    Miami, FL
    1970 53 MY #325 Cummins 6CTAs
    2014 26' gaff rigged sloop
    2007 Sandbarhopper 13
    12' Westphal Cat boat

  8. #8

    Re: Solar Systems

    Pascal, you may be able to actually charge your batteries quicker if you get more or bigger chargers. That means even less gen run time.

  9. #9

    Re: Solar Systems

    bigger than 150 amps ? :-)
    Pascal
    Miami, FL
    1970 53 MY #325 Cummins 6CTAs
    2014 26' gaff rigged sloop
    2007 Sandbarhopper 13
    12' Westphal Cat boat

  10. #10

    Re: Solar Systems

    High cost or not, the president of one of the solar panel companies, Bob Stempel (former president of GM), says their plant capacity is all sold out. Now the global issue is raw commodities from which to fabricate the panels...so what else is new?
    50 Years on the Great Lakes...

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