Solar Panel

[Marc Thériault]

Hi,
I read the posts on the battery charger and i'm now a little "confuse"...

I plan to mooring my Alberg 22 (oups! forget me but the price of a CD22 is so high) and by the way the motor will not work often, so i want to add a solar panel for keeping the battery full charge. But for what i read earlier it seem i must have a lot of power to bost the charge of the battery...

Could somebody explain me what i can do and if the solar panel is ok, what brand is good.
Thank's

Marc



adrenaline@vif.com

[Will Parker]

I recently installed a 100 watt Siemen's solar panel on my Cape Dory 30. The only thing it requires is a voltage regulator (controller), which is available from West Marine. Siemen's makes several different sizes if the 100 watt is too big for your boat. Very reliable as long as the sun shines. I believe it is the very best passive charging system available. Of course, I live in South Florida.Good Luck.
Will
"Jambalaya"
CD 30C

Hi,
I read the posts on the battery charger and i'm now a little "confuse"...

I plan to mooring my Alberg 22 (oups! forget me but the price of a CD22 is so high) and by the way the motor will not work often, so i want to add a solar panel for keeping the battery full charge. But for what i read earlier it seem i must have a lot of power to bost the charge of the battery...

Could somebody explain me what i can do and if the solar panel is ok, what brand is good.
Thank's

Marc

whildenp@flinet.com

[h meyrick]

What panel size you need sort of depends upon your planned power consumption. If you have all manner of gadgets, you need a bigger panel to power them all. If you divide the rated wattage of a panel by its voltage (approx. 15v) you'll get the amperage it supplies you. Multiply that by 4 or 5, you'll get the daily production in amp-hours. So Will's 100w panel gives him around 30 aH a day, maybe more as he's in Florida. Add up all your electrical loads to find out what size you need.

If you don't have a lot of electrical gear, get a solar trickle charger to maintain the battery. On my boat, I hook up a small 5w charger (mine is by ICP, about $80). It'd probably take forever to recharge a seriously depleted battery, but it's pretty good at keeping the batteries topped off and isn't likely to overcharge. Even a small charging current inhibits sulfation, meaning the batteries'll live a lot longer.

Hope this helps

Hi,
I read the posts on the battery charger and i'm now a little "confuse"...

I plan to mooring my Alberg 22 (oups! forget me but the price of a CD22 is so high) and by the way the motor will not work often, so i want to add a solar panel for keeping the battery full charge. But for what i read earlier it seem i must have a lot of power to bost the charge of the battery...

Could somebody explain me what i can do and if the solar panel is ok, what brand is good.
Thank's

Marc

[Eric]

I put a Siemen's 10-Watt panel on my Bristol 25, which I use mainly for weekending. I also have an alternator in my outboard, but I used the o/b only a few minutes per week. The panel keeps the battery nicely topped off when using a VHF, cell phone charger, depth and knotmeters,and very conservative lighting. Also keeps the battery from running itself down during the winter! It has a built-in regulator.

- eric



posmentier@dartmouth.edu

[Kurt]

I bought an $80.00 (on sale) solar panel from Boat U.S. a couple years ago. Its a 5 watt weatherproof model and its also flexible...I just lay it on the outboard motor hatch and run the wiring down through one of the motor well ventilators. It's permanently wired into the electrical system. It works great.



kjlgpw@aol.com

[Marc]

Thank's for the explanation, it will help me for purchase the right one.

Marc )

What panel size you need sort of depends upon your planned power consumption. If you have all manner of gadgets, you need a bigger panel to power them all. If you divide the rated wattage of a panel by its voltage (approx. 15v) you'll get the amperage it supplies you. Multiply that by 4 or 5, you'll get the daily production in amp-hours. So Will's 100w panel gives him around 30 aH a day, maybe more as he's in Florida. Add up all your electrical loads to find out what size you need.

If you don't have a lot of electrical gear, get a solar trickle charger to maintain the battery. On my boat, I hook up a small 5w charger (mine is by ICP, about $80). It'd probably take forever to recharge a seriously depleted battery, but it's pretty good at keeping the batteries topped off and isn't likely to overcharge. Even a small charging current inhibits sulfation, meaning the batteries'll live a lot longer.

Hope this helps

Hi,
I read the posts on the battery charger and i'm now a little "confuse"...

I plan to mooring my Alberg 22 (oups! forget me but the price of a CD22 is so high) and by the way the motor will not work often, so i want to add a solar panel for keeping the battery full charge. But for what i read earlier it seem i must have a lot of power to bost the charge of the battery...

Could somebody explain me what i can do and if the solar panel is ok, what brand is good.
Thank's

Marc