solar panels. are they worth the cost and effort

[johnbullsbum]

hi all, just about to move onto a boat which has 3 batteries and one starter. also on board is an in-built generator. my question is is it worth installing solar panels bearing in mind we are going to be spending a lot of time on board

[Alan de Enfield]

YES.

Alternative is running either the engine or generator every day - why burn diesel and put hours on the engine when you can get 'it' silently & for 'free'

[Rickent]

Most definately yes. We have one 175 w panel with 20a mppt controller and although we are on shore power, from april to october my batteries are always fully charged and costs nothing (apart from the initial outlay).

[Catnip King]

Yes I live fully on them. No shore power at all between April - October. And I run washer/dryers, gaming tower, fridge, freezer, toaster, big tv. I love it was well worth the investment!

[Robbo]

36 minutes ago, johnbullsbum said:

hi all, just about to move onto a boat which has 3 batteries and one starter. also on board is an in-built generator. my question is is it worth installing solar panels bearing in mind we are going to be spending a lot of time on board

This depends on how you are going to use the boat, if you spend most of time at a marina on shore power and only do cruises where your really cruising every other day then solar isn't really a benefit.   However if your off-grid, spend good periods of time stationary then solar is really beneficial, how much solar depends on your power consumption.

One thing I dislike about solar is that it usually looks like a poor Heath Robinson add on to boats.  I prefer the look of the semi flexible walk on type as it doesn't spoil the boat shape, but these are slightly more expensive.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Robbo

[Rickent]

We are going to add another 175w panel this year as when we are out running the 240v fridge off the inverter takes its toll on the batteries after 3 or 4 days without running the engine.

[johnbullsbum]

we are pretty much going to liveaboard most of the year, we have a mooring but no shore power. it has 12v llighting throughout, 240v domestic fridge ,2 tvs and various chargers for phones and  laptops. is it better to go for the largest array possible or whats adequate. planning to change the 3 batteries next year and add another one

[Robbo]

10 minutes ago, johnbullsbum said:

we are pretty much going to liveaboard most of the year, we have a mooring but no shore power. it has 12v llighting throughout, 240v domestic fridge ,2 tvs and various chargers for phones and  laptops. is it better to go for the largest array possible or whats adequate. planning to change the 3 batteries next year and add another one

Large array, over summer it will be more than enough, but during the spring and autumn it may bring that little extra to not run the genny.  You may want to think about increasing the size of the battery bank as this will increase your buffer and reducing the need to run the genny.

Edited May 14, 2017 by Robbo

[Neil2]

4 hours ago, Robbo said:

This depends on how you are going to use the boat, if you spend most of time at a marina on shore power and only do cruises where your really cruising every other day then solar isn't really a benefit.   However if your off-grid, spend good periods of time stationary then solar is really beneficial, how much solar depends on your power consumption.

One thing I dislike about solar is that it usually looks like a poor Heath Robinson add on to boats.  I prefer the look of the semi flexible walk on type as it doesn't spoil the boat shape, but these are slightly more expensive.

I agree, I think it's the only reason not to have solar now that panels are so cheap.  

I have a friend with a Hudson and he agrees that solar makes total sense but he will not entertain it simply because he thinks it will spoil the look of his boat.  Having said that I think he is starting to crack..

You don't need to festoon the roof with panels to derive some benefit.  In summer we could manage indefinitely with just our single 120w panel.  Solar and LED lights have just transformed the boating experience over the last few years.

 

  

[Peter-Bullfinch]

Absolutely yes.

[b0atman]

if sunny then nothing better

[Detling]

Every hour of engine will be best part of a pound in diesel probably half that for your generator. With 300+ watts of solar for 6 months of the year, you save 2-3 hours of charging a day, at least. Do the maths and unless you expect selling the boat within 2 years, you will be in profit.

[Guest]

As everyone said above - YES! I wouldn't be without them now as they provide plenty of power March to October and keep the batteries conditioned. We are permanently off grid.

[jam]

Installed 340 watts of solar last year and saved a fortune in diesel, I reckon by the end of this year the investment will have paid off. My only problem is from March to October, too much power and not enough storage. What a good place to be.

[starman]

On 14 May 2017 at 11:39, Robbo said:

One thing I dislike about solar is that it usually looks like a poor Heath Robinson add on to boats.  I prefer the look of the semi flexible walk on type as it doesn't spoil the boat shape, but these are slightly more expensive.

My feelings too. I've thought about the stick-on panels but I've heard they don't stick to gritted roof. True?

Presumably the semi-flexible ones screw down but what happens to the paint underneath?

[Jamboat]

We had 2 stick on ones for about 5 years, they had been well stuck down but last year we noticed some rust spots around the edge so decided to take them off & what a mess underneath, lots of rust so after sorting the roof out we have gone for  4 x 100w of panels with tilting frames from on board solar, also upgraded our controller & we now have a much better system.

I don't mind the look of them as I just think of all the power they are giving us  

[mrsmelly]

In a nutshell. Many things re boating are personal choice and or debatable. There is one thing that are always of benefit and that is solar, here endeth the lesson.

[WotEver]

38 minutes ago, mrsmelly said:

In a nutshell. Many things re boating are personal choice and or debatable. There is one thing that are always of benefit and that is solar, here endeth the lesson.

Yeah, but now we can have endless debate about mono or poly, flexy or rigid, series or parallel, PCM or MPPT...

[rusty69]

2 minutes ago, WotEver said:

Yeah, but now we can have endless debate about mono or poly, flexy or rigid, series or parallel, PCM or MPPT...

I hope not. Its already been discussed to death. 

[WotEver]

13 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

I hope not. Its already been discussed to death. 

So's everything else. When did that stop us?

[rusty69]

5 minutes ago, WotEver said:

So's everything else. When did that stop us?

True. If they ever invent a search function our days here will be numbered. 

[mrsmelly]

19 minutes ago, rusty69 said:

True. If they ever invent a search function our days here will be numbered. 

 especialy if the search function worked 

[X Alan W]

On 14/05/2017 at 13:18, johnbullsbum said:

we are pretty much going to liveaboard most of the year, we have a mooring but no shore power. it has 12v llighting throughout, 240v domestic fridge ,2 tvs and various chargers for phones and  laptops. is it better to go for the largest array possible or whats adequate. planning to change the 3 batteries next year and add another one

If you are on board all day & can mount the panels to be able to tilt & swivel to enable to follow the sun if shinning it will give a higher charge rate. doing this with our motor home increased the charge length/output by between 5& 15%

[WotEver]

Why not build a couple of these?

 

[system 4-50]

I'm disappointed that the electrics which are a puzzle for me are deemed too simple to be worth describing and yet the mechanics which seem to me fairly obvious are described at length.