After a recent five-day trip on board our vessel, where too often you start the engine to produce electricity, which provide 115-volt AC freezer to keep temperatures, I began thinking about options. We have in excess of 90 hours on the generator of the ship in just five days, the time for another oil change! I have an inverter soon and that the execution time for the generator is significantly improved, but there is still work to be completed. However, you need to keepFully charged batteries to power the inverter. Then I thought, why not explore the solar panels for use on board our yachts. The solar panels have been successful by mid-1950, which used originally used for human space exploration. Fall in cost from about 2004, when his popularity is really gone. And now with the pressure of the Greens, the solar panels are accepted as always. So I started to dig into them and find out how the purchase and installation of one, I wasFor a big surprise. You can use many retail providers on the Internet that sell a solar panel, but nowhere could I find a detailed description of how to determine what they buy and how to install it, let alone on a yacht. So the piece was written when I made my way through the progression, then, is really a learning-as-you-go product.
What exactly is a solar panel and how they work?
Solar panels are basically all the panel found that the use of solar thermal agoEnergy to generate electricity. A solar system can be used as a photovoltaic panel, the names have been used in the field, for panels intended to create electricity from the sun's output. Although the group discussed the solar panel, solar cells are almost all dishes. This is because the surface of the plate to enjoy must have a slope of 90 degrees of the sun for the best angle to the sun. The solar modules are able to absorb energy from the sun by a collection ofThe solar cells on their surface. Very similar to the way a plant is able to take the sun's energy for photosynthesis, solar cells work similarly. As the rays of sunlight hit the solar cells on a solar panel, energy is transferred to a semiconductor silicon. The power is then (dc), dc power and then ultimately lead wires enter the adoption of a battery is changed.
Types of solar panels
Most types of panels used in the ruleSailing is used polycrystalline or amorphous thin-film cells. Polycrystalline silicon modules, the oldest technology available and also the strongest. If the correct size and combined with batteries in the case, these are the boards used to make the operation of large loads such as refrigeration.
Amorphous thin-film solar panels are only about 50% efficient as crystalline panels, but can be purchased in degrees of flexibility, so that they can roll or bend, or change the shape of aBoat cabin top or bimini. They often do not have a sufficient return for the provision of substantial energy savings, but can be used to easily load a set of batteries to be.
How much energy can solar panels?
Usually measure the performance of solar panels and that is how they buy them. You can solar panels for boats as small as 10 watts to 200 watts as large as or even larger. But it is easier to understand if we change current watts. These values is calculated by multiplying the number of hoursThe panel is in full sun (usually defined as five one day in Florida) the wattage by the jury. For a 195-watt solar panel, the quantity produced would be 195 x 5 hours = 975 watts / day. We can then consider 975 volts = 81.25 amps watts/12 day.
Power Consumption
Before you buy, the panel size for your boat, you need an energy balance to determine what sources of energy on board in the harbor, and have been completed. I use the scenario again, like thisCity will use more power, energy and your vessel can supply its needs without any problems.
For example, if you are 3 interior lights, which would be 2 amps each, and keep it at 4 hours per night to go, the consumer will be 3 x 2 x 4 = 24 Ah / day. We are not driving with lights and electronics, because they could not be exported, while at anchor affected.
DC loads - to calculate how many Amp hours used by each device
Home Lighting
StillLighting
Cooling
Freezer
Electric toilet
Fresh Water Pump
Hygiene
Stereo
More
Inverter loads
DC Inverter also use loads, but they are turning on the AC devices and equipment. If the west, to use the amps you want to change (V = 1 Amp 12watts/12).
Calculate the ampere hours used by each device
Computer
Microwave
Cooling
Freezer
Heating
Hairdryer
TV
More
Add your entireDaily energy consumption AH / day
Creating solar power
Can replace several sources of energy such as solar panels amp / h batteries pulled from. But much like the current account, that the intended use, you must calculate the supply of Ah. Remember the formula - (12 watts/12 volts = 1 amp). But make sure that the formula is only a trace, absolute accuracy can only be if the panel production is constant and a solar panel might work at timesineffective because of the overcast sky. Compare the power of everyday use in the AH / day of creation of solar energy. The solar energy must be greater than your effort. If not, select a panel of greatest power, and recalculate. Buy more and more solar panel than you think, you need some experts recommend at least 30% more.
Case in point - 100 Watt Solar Panel / 12 volts = 8.3 x 5 hours = 41.66 Ah / day production
Install solar panels
Now that you havehave your solar panel, where is your yacht? As already mentioned, the installation of the panels at ninety degrees, the sun is the best. You can get more power generation in this way. But on yacht, looking for a suitable place is at best difficult. A number of sailors put on consoles sitting on the tracks, they stand on the other Bimini, and I saw how shabby fishing locations on the conclusions. But remember, wherever you mount it, you get the mostof them, should be open, away from any shadow of a cantilever, radar arches and vascular structures of the cabin. Remember that while at anchor, the boat to get around the sun twice a day because of the tides. I decided to go our panel on the upper deck of the boat with hard top in a horizontal position for mounting. Here you get the best view of the sun and shade radar arch, as the boat swings at anchor free. The slope in the direction of the sun is not exactly ninety degrees, but it ishave to do. I have a 195-watt panel so that I receive nearly 50% retain the ability to compensate in my panel to the inefficiency of small solar angles. We have a panel of Sun Electronics in Miami, sunelec.com, because they are the best prices I could find anywhere on the Internet has done. But remember, the panels must be delivered to comply with the goods, as they are very packed to reduce the possibility of damage, so make sure you calculate these costs in your purchase.
What is the best way to attach the plateYour ship?
There are a number of manufacturers of solar panel mounting rails and supports, but almost all are made to the roof or floor mounting. West Marine does not carry a product for installation of small panels to the rails. A good number of sailors their own mounts. I found a kit with the mounting Sunsea Sunsea developed than the ship, and the panel with 3M 5200 Marine fixed known. The support allows the panel to be installed about 2 inches of spaceunder the plate for ventilation. I did not have any holes in the hard top to tip either. You can find these clips on amazon.com.
Panel wiring
Marine electrical wiring is incredibly skilled and dangerous if you are not familiar with the implementation of this part of the task, please contact a qualified electrician marine environment. The pot will be wired for connection to the ship, but you must provide the connection pipes, which are also sold by your provider panel;They are known as MC4 cables. The cables will be mounted in various lengths to meet your needs with a fellow male and female, cut a door.
In addition, you also need a controller. The controller regulates the flow stream from the panel to the battery to keep your batteries charged or stop overload. A number of controllers are simple, but others have LED displays, the amount of load, etc. The most imaginative of the most expensivewill. Your dealer can panel a controller that aim to meet your needs. I opted for a special controller concepts developed. It 's simple, but it served its purpose. And people in the company is selecting a great help to help yourself, the best model for your. If you want to get in touch with them, they will also review the panel size (power) and you have to understand what the excitement. To learn more specialtyconcepts.com. I also have my controller of individualsSun Electronics in Miami.
People who have special concepts also calculated, as the heat will have an effect on stream flow and suggested that its inspectors will not be placed in the engine room, because the heat generated will reduce the effectiveness of control around 25%. I have in the panel below the lower helm. And finally, you must correctly sized cable from the controller to the batteries and go back to the controller, to connect the battery pack.When deciding on the proper backup, you need the short circuit current rating for the panel and the switch to 125% of this number to find. This will give you the amperage of the circuit breaker you need. The hand controller is to have information about them.
Owning a solar panel to keep the battery looks like a great plan, but want a way to keep an eye on your batteries. I decided to install Trimetric 2025RV Monitor battery bogartengineering.com.This intelligent device is wired into your bank battery, a true measure of power is to ensure the bank, where A through your yacht, used the percentage of full charge on the bank and charge amplifiers hours ago.
Panel Features
So now we have a 195-watt solar panel installed in addition to a 1800 watt inverter and a bank battery with 443 hours amplifier. We ran our tests on the hook this week with a clear sky. I concluded that our consumption of energy 112.5 ampHours a day. The freezer is the main draw with 60 amp-hours consumed by the refrigerator. Did you know that an anchor light from 18 amp-hours each night moves? I think we'll see LED lamps now.
The battery monitor is shown that our current pull from the battery only to 65 Ah, you get the rest of the sun, as a whole was up 42% from the sun. Now you turn the unit on for about an hour to bring the bank to complete batteryFree.
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