effectiveness of solar & wind

[stoutwench]

Originally Posted by Cruisingdad

I noticed you did not mention wind... you do not run a wind gen?
- CD

No wind only 240watts total solar, Honda and the alternator.

I am curious to see the answers to "Let me ask this, is it better if one could fit it, to have 4 or 5, 50 watt panels, or 2 130 watt panels ? I just got my engel 45 fridge today. They claim in fridge mode, .7 amps per hour or 16.8 per day."

I've always thought that watts are watts; 4-50s or 1-200 would be the same. As for the refrig compressor.....16.8 per day????????? If true, it is certainly a break through in marine refrigeration!!!!

Roger

[EscapadeCaliber40LRC]

Agreement about that refrig. My refrig compressor pulls between 2.9 and 3.5 amps constantly. That sets the floor of my load at 84 amp hours per day, unless I shut it down at night which I've done now and again. I'd love to be able to cut this in half.

My 4 each 40W Kyocera and two each 32W flexible panels usually generate something like 30 - 40 Watts a day. The wind generator can pick up the rest if the anchorage gets good winds over night. I bought the Pep Boys gas generator with at least the passing thought that it would make a reasonable extra anchor some day. I don't like carrying extra gas on the boat. The Balmar puts a decent load on the diesel when I need to top up the batt bank and I get the hot water for free ignoring future maintenance and current diesel costs. Hey the fuel is already in the tanks and its getting older by the day, why not burn a little off.

[Freesail99]

This is from the engel web site : Power consumption: 0.7 Amps in refrigeration mode; 2.5 Amps in freezer mode

That is where I was getting my information from

[sailingdog]

Kind of curious that we haven't heard from Conchy Joe regarding his testing...

[AmyJohnson]

Thank you for the advice, Cruisingdad. I unfortunately don't have much time to follow this thread every day, but I do appreciate the input.

I downloaded the technical drawings for the Solar Stik from their site, and am frankly, still thinking about doing it. I contacted them about their claims to find out what they had to say about the 80 Amp.Hr. day claim. Here is what I was told:

There is no guarantee that I will receive 80 Amp.hr in the course of a day. The testing that they did yielded about 80 amp hours in the summer months only and of course only under best conditions. In the winter, they only got around 60 amp hours again under best conditions. They also informed me that they had tested the amp hour rating with a multi-function DC control designed to measure amp hours with something called a shont(?) attached between the solarboost control and the battery. Does this sound right? All official tests were done in Florida, but they had several boats with the system roaming the water for several years and they also used that data.

I only carry 23 gallons of fuel and don't want to depend on running my engine for power. I've done the math and I need to produce abour 70 amp hours a day, but I don't have the necessary room for mounting a couple hundred watts of solar. At the same time, the Stik will fit my boat with relative ease, but it will certainly take a bite out of my budget.

Oh, what to do!!

[EscapadeCaliber40LRC]

Amy - That is a small fuel tank. Do you also carry gerry jugs ? Since you already know you need 70 amp hours replaced daily. The SolarStik won't be up to the job, by the company's own testing. You won't get better than their test results. So come the winter, you will need to add additional solar, or add a wind generator, or add a portable generator or run the diesel engine driving your alternator. So you should evaluate your situation and budget accordingly.

To my jaundiced eye with the Solar Stik, you will be paying quite a bit for an optimized panel mounting device, I would wonder if you can extend its capacity in the near term (to deal with your perceived shortfall). When you find the reality of your true usage, its my guess that your needs will be even greater than you currently think. Good luck in ferreting out the issues.

The reason I bought the Pep Boys genset was basically to save money. While I knew that the Honda was the preferred and recommended genset, I could buy 3 Pep Boys gensets for the price of the cheapest Honda model and still have $100 bucks left in my pocket. Plus a heavier anchor when it dies.

[conchyjoe]

Originally Posted by sailingdog

Kind of curious that we haven't heard from Conchy Joe regarding his testing...

Some people have better things to do.......

What testing are you talking about. I have posted all the info I have from testing. The info stands on it's own.

And yes I did mean 2 50w panels, not 2 100w panels.

To answer someone elses question. I do not own a SolarStik. I merely tested it. I personally do not currently have a requirement for one.

[conchyjoe]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

CJoe, where'd you go?! I woke up bright and bushy eyed this morning and couldn't wait to find out if you'd tested 2x 100W panels, or one Solar Stik (2x50) to get that 80AH. Here I sit, feeling all disconsolate and abandoned, drowning my sorrows in coffee. Save me!

Thank you for your humor. Yes I did mean 2X50w.

[hellosailor]

Roger-
"I've always thought that watts are watts; 4-50s or 1-200 would be the same." Correct, watts are watts. However, solar panels, like most other gizmos, have been known to just up and die at the least convenient moment from water intrusion, meteorite damage, and other surprises. Having only one panel--and needing the power it produced--could be inconvenient if it did the usual "wee nasty silicon creature" thing and went belly-up at the least convenient moment.

ConchyJoe-
Could you tell me how you measured the amphours, now that we know it was from 100W of panels? What kind of instrument or setup?

[EscapadeCaliber40LRC]

Freesail99 - I just looked at that Engel 45 and I understand it better. It has the capacity to chill 5 cases of beer when fully loaded. That probably wouldn't be sufficient for the way our boat is provisioned. If I remember right, my box is something like 22 cu feet capacity.