We have an Island Packet 40 and are finally going to do some long distance cruising (Chesapeake to Maine for the summer, then to the Bahamas for the winter). We want to install solar panels and are looking for some current reccomendations on dealers etc. E-marine seems to have several good packages that we could install ourselves (above the bimini or above the davits). Any first-hand experience or advice would be appreciated. Currently, the boat is in Rock HAll, MD.
(not affiliated with them in any way other than being a customer, they had what I wanted at a good price and shipped quickly).
I put a pair of Kyocera KC130TM panels with Blue Sky 3042iL MPPT controller with Remote on our Sun Odyssey 45.2 last summer and recently bought a third panel to add this spring. Solar made a huge difference even up on Lake Champlain. Two panels were great, the third is in anticipation of additional equipment for an eventual trip south.
I would recommend you get Kyocera solar panels. The 130 watt panels are on sale for a very good price.
The Blue Sea SB2000E controller will handle two of them easily and is a good choice unless you're looking to add wind or additional solar.
__________________
Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."
There are three main things that you should look for with solar panels.
First, are the cells made from mono-crystaline or poly-crystaline wafers? You can tell by looking at them. If you do not see any grains on the cell, then it is mono. If you see multiple cyrstals then it is multi. Mono's are more efficient and produce more power from the same area. They are also more expensive.
Second, how rigid are the panels? With thin, brittle solar cells you do not want the panel to flex too much. An average size person can stand on a well built residential panel causing no damage.
Third, the achilles heel of PV solar panels... the electrical connection. If there are connectors see if they are water proof. If there is a junction box see if it is sealed. All the same problems you have with your other electrical connections on your boat will be the same with the solar panel. If the connection corrodes you may not be able to fix the panel without destroying it.
One bit of interesting information about solar panels. The different brands all use the same wafers and cells. There is quite a bit of "horse trading" in the industry. The major differences between panel manufacturers is the panel construction as mentioned above. Many of the different brands of panels are made in the same factory at contract manufacturers. So, don't get hung up on brand names. Look at the warrenties and prices.
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Nick
S/V Blue Bayou
1974 Pearson 30 #517
There are three main things that you should look for with solar panels.
First, are the cells made from mono-crystaline or poly-crystaline wafers? You can tell by looking at them. If you do not see any grains on the cell, then it is mono. If you see multiple cyrstals then it is multi. Mono's are more efficient and produce more power from the same area. They are also more expensive.
Second, how rigid are the panels? With thin, brittle solar cells you do not want the panel to flex too much. An average size person can stand on a well built residential panel causing no damage.
Third, the achilles heel of PV solar panels... the electrical connection. If there are connectors see if they are water proof. If there is a junction box see if it is sealed. All the same problems you have with your other electrical connections on your boat will be the same with the solar panel. If the connection corrodes you may not be able to fix the panel without destroying it.
One bit of interesting information about solar panels. The different brands all use the same wafers and cells. There is quite a bit of "horse trading" in the industry. The major differences between panel manufacturers is the panel construction as mentioned above. Many of the different brands of panels are made in the same factory at contract manufacturers. So, don't get hung up on brand names. Look at the warrenties and prices.
Mono cells are more efficent, but cannot be stacked as densly as poly cells. The overall effecency of a pannel is much the same for both technologies and prices these days are much the same as well.
The overall effency of the pannel is important and worth calculating, given the limited space on a boat, but there are likely to be greater differences between manufacturers than between mono or poly cells.
I agree fully on the other points and these should be your deciding factors.
Thanks for the great replies and the links. We'll be on the boat for the next couple days (if it every stops raining) to get her hauled for an insurance survey so we'll re-read and absorb all the details of the primer and other offerings. Really appreciate the support.
I'd point out that if you're going to be fishing the wiring for the panel through a dinghy davits or other stainless steel tubing, the MC4 cable ends are going to be a BITCH. This is why I recommend the panel with the junction box. Also, the MC4 cables are untinned, non-marine grade wire IIRC.
Only difference between the two is you'll need to get their special MC4 cable. The one SD linked to has a junction box, not a plug.
__________________
Sailingdog Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
If you're new to the Sailnet Forums... please read this POST.
