Solar

[twistedtree]

EPever white-labels equipment for Outback which is considered a quality brand in the 'overlander' set.

Interesting. What Outback products do they build?

 

[mvweebles]

Interesting. What Outback products do they build?

Some of Outbacks MPPT controllers.

https://www.cleanenergyreviews.info/blog/best-solar-charge-controllers

Peter

 

[twistedtree]

Some of Outbacks MPPT controllers.

https://www.cleanenergyreviews.info/blog/best-solar-charge-controllers

Peter

Thanks!

 

[RickyD]

I am looking to add a small solar panel to the radar arch to keep the house battery charged and the fridge running while on a mooring.
I have a Mainship Pilot 34 softtop.

Suggestions on vendor and panel size are welcome.

Thanks

Two of my boating neighbors have SunPower flexible panels. They outperform their power ratings I'm told. Charge the batteries and even run the ice maker. One is a sailboater the other a 32' cruiser.

 

[MaDehn]

I have a kilowatt of solar 12 panels of various manufacture with two 80 amp outback mppt controllers. For the op I would recommend two panels totally somewhere in the 300 watt total range with a 60 amp outback mppt controller. Should give home enough power and the controller is pretty bulletproof and has plenty of room to add capacity if he later desires. I am not a fan of soft panels and have not seen them wear well at all. In addition I have some safety concerns with them (fire) Take the advice for being worth what you pay for it your mileage may vary etc etc. best of luck

 

[Simi 60]

Yes, but the question is not if they are the best or even if they are "good". The question is whether they meet the need at that lower price.

When I got my first rigid panel solar setup it cost me over $1500 to install a 290W panel just to charge batteries out on the mooring so I could leave the frig on.

Surely a $500 flexible panel 500W system with a PWM controller now available can do the same service and is easier to install.

Same applies to my current LFP cheap house batteries that were $309/ea for 100ah. Maybe not best, but been fine so far for 6 months so why would I have gotten the $800-1000 ones?

Yeah, but instead of buying NEW "not so good" how about buying 2nd hand good?

Our 2500 watt solar setup (9 x 275) is made up of Jinko panels that had 9 years remaining on their 10 year warranty when purchased.
They are a Tier 1 company, so one of the better panels available.
They cost us $60 each and the seller even delivered them to us.

 

[Simi 60]

Renogy stuff looking pretty bad on here

https://diysolarforum.com/search/1566484/?q=Renogy&o=relevance

 

[Capt Ray]

Stage 1

Vendor I went with (panels + controllers) was:
https://www.emarineinc.com/
because of their excellent pre-sales engineering support.

Went with QTY 3 200 watt rigid PV panels ... then added a 4th. I have room for a 5th, but I don't think it is needed.

2 Victron controllers, one for the panel up forward, 1 for the panels back aft.
Series circuit

These were originally used to charge an 8D wet cell lead acid battery.

Stage 2

Bought QTY 2 GC3 "Game Changer 3" LiFePO4 batteries 270 AH each.
Direct from Battleborn... mostly for the same reason: excellent pre-sales engineering / support.

I also added a DC-DC charger so the lithium "house bank" can charge the Lead Acid AGM bank that starts the engine, runs the bow thruster, and windlass as needed. (The older lead acid batteries are best for these very heavy loads.)

This set up makes anchoring out 100% better. Toaster, Microwave, Fridge, etc.
Concept: stop the need for running the noisy generator!

See pics on our blog: shellerina.com simple search "solar" for more details.

Check with your yacht insurance broker to ensure your carrier/underwriter is OK with Lithium. They are amazingly better than lead acid/AGM.

Victron smart shunts on each bank is big plus. I prefer the Bluetooth interface to my phone so I don't have to drill any more holes for mounting panels!

 

[Fletcher500]

Two of my boating neighbors have SunPower flexible panels. They outperform their power ratings I'm told. Charge the batteries and even run the ice maker. One is a sailboater the other a 32' cruiser.

That is my experience as well with SunPower/Solbian panels. I had to up size the breaker because they were putting more than I had expected.

 

[mvweebles]

Renogy stuff looking pretty bad on here



https://diysolarforum.com/search/1566484/?q=Renogy&o=relevance

A lot of complaints about their inverters which is how they landed on my 'never again' list of lousy companies. Rod Collins warns his capacity tests of Renogy batteries shows they store a fraction of their rated capacity. And their tech support service is atrocious.

That said, I do have a couple Renogy products purchased before I realized a lousy company they are that work fine. Notable is a MPPT/DC-DC charger that combines alternator and solar input. Great space saver in my camper van. That said, if I were to buy another, would go with Redarc, an OZ company. 2x price, but with a solid reputation.

Peter

 

[Mike H]

As for vendor, I installed 53 panels on our barn, and found the Alt-e store to be very helpful in pre- and post-sales. I had one bad panel, and they worked with me on testing and getting a replacement. They are located in Massachusetts, so I could drive my pickup/trailer down to get everything and forego the shipping costs. Whether they have panels for the marine environment, I do not know.

As for size, panels are cheap. Put in as many as you can. That is my plan for our boat later this summer.

 

[Simi 60]

. Whether they have panels for the marine environment, I do not know.

Is there such a thing?

Glass and aluminium frame sounds suitably "marine" to me

 

[Nepidae]

Here (https://www.emarineinc.com/pdf/vessel/Vessel-Energy-Usage-Estimator.pdf) is a sheet that will help you figure how much power you might need.

More is always better since it was said you could run into a string of cloudy days so unless you want to start your engine or run a genny, presuming you have 1 you need to be ready for eventualities. We carry a portable genny.

IT is an expensive path you are planning and probably more than you currently think.

Have fun.

 

[slowgoesit]

Whether they have panels for the marine environment, I do not know.

Is there such a thing?

Glass and aluminium frame sounds suitably "marine" to me

Although ours are not "Marine" rated, the junction boxes ARE IP67 rated, as well as the panels being IEC 61701-2011 Salt Mist Corrosion Certified.
That was one of the deciding factors with our going with the panels we did. I attached the cut sheet for those who are interested.

 

[Bmarler]

I bought essentially the same panels, but in 385 watt. I read the cut sheet and agree, they seem about as good as it gets. Platt had a good price too.
I'm fabbing up the frames to hold them right now.

 

[Simi 60]

Although ours are not "Marine" rated, the junction boxes ARE IP67 rated, as well as the panels being IEC 61701-2011 Salt Mist Corrosion Certified.
That was one of the deciding factors with our going with the panels we did. I attached the cut sheet for those who are interested.

Just had a quick look and Jinko do as well.
I would suspect every decent brand would - they likely don't make the junction box anyway
And the IEC 61701-2011 Salt Mist Corrosion Certified is probably just a result from anodising the aluminium frame.

 

[ronobrien]

Depending on the size of your fridge and climate, I'd guess you need 75AH/day which translates into 1kw/day. Around 200-watts of solar. If you have a soft-top, you probably want flexible solar panels. Mounting is really the only difficult part of the work. As Psneeld insinuates, you do need to factor-in battery capacity as a function of how many cloudy days you want to account for. Depending on your climate, 200AH of available capacity (LiFePO4 have more 'available' as a percentage of rated capacity than Flood Acid) is probably a comfortable minimum.

Although the marketing and pricing is compelling, I would stay away from Renogy. If you ever need tech support, you're screwed. I received a dead-on-arrival inverter which they steadfastly refused to RMA until I filed all sorts of credit card and BBB complaints. In the process, I received blatently wrong information - telling my my new 12.6v battery bank was dead and needed to be replaced before they would RMA my Inverter. It is not possible to exaggerate how bad their support is.

2-years ago I installed two 165W "Newpowa" RIGID panels on a camper van. They are doing fine and I would buy them again, though I never needed tech support so no idea if they are any good. I see they now offer full solar kits but nothing in FLEXIBLE panels. HERE is a RIGID 200W system for under $400. The only other thing you would need is some sort of circuit protection to the battery. I also like a switch on the panel side of the Controller to shut-down the electricity from the panels if service is needed. A circuit breaker works nicely.

Good luck -

Peter

I would consider the tech support as more important than most other aspects. Even well manufactured components can experience failure. Your ability to get a remedy is the only thing that matters then.