Aurinco Solar Panels

[Russ]

Excuse me !
2 Watts is trickle charging ! anything over 15 watts per battery will cook them in a very short time , 80 Watts is nice as long as you have some sort of charge controller , but depending on where you live that 80 Watts is most likely only going to be 30% to 45% efective , Solar power is way to expensive means of substaining hydro , cutting your hydro consumption with other options is the way to go & use a moderate solar system as a secondary back-up !

J

Yea, 15 watts is going to give you 1 amp at 100% efficiency, which as you pointed out is rare. Sun must be 90 degrees straight overhead, no dirt on the panels etc. Realistically, a 15 watt panel is going to give you .5 amps on an average day. That's a notch above a trickle charge and frankly, not gonna power anything of value on my boat, but it would keep the batts topped off while I'm away.

Nevertheless, on a perfect day you might push out 1 amp if the sun is bright and directly overhead in the summer. And you are right, THAT could cook your already topped off batteries, so a controller is in order.

For $66 bucks, you got a good deal and it's certainly worth using to keep batteries full if you are not a cruiser.

--Russ

[Highlander]

Russ.
Not dissagreeing with you 'Just my dry sense of humor" , but the price was right for what i wanted it for, I think wind power would be a good option if the price was right & depending on where you live , But I got a brand new Kipor 1000 invertor gen for $300. in change two yrs ago & to me thats I think a better option !
Their talking about our hydro bill going up 50% in the next couple of yrs so I can see some people will be looking for other options more so if they own big homes with large usage , and I can see the marina's will use that as an excuse to soak us at the slips with hydro too

J

[Rick Westlake]

Hi Guy's throw your cash my way

I bought one of these a few yrs ago 15 watt for about $66. on Sale of course $$ , never did get the time to install it yet Sunforce


j

I'm replacing one of those, or at any rate a Sunsei model that's almost identical. I've had it for two years; it got a couple of "chips" in two corners last winter; this winter it cracked down the center of the panel, along its long axis. It isn't putting out any electricity any more.

I'm replacing it, as I posted above, with two 12-watt Sunwize SolCharger panels - $130 each from "Mr. Solar," an online seller in Maryland. I received the panels this morning; they are built on a fiberglass panel substrate, and covered with a 4mm-thick, clear polymer "encapsulant." The product literature from Sunwize describes them as "vandal-resistant" and "flame-retardant." They feel sturdy enough to get stepped on without getting damaged.

My old panel is on top of the hatch slider, which meant I wouldn't be able to install a dodger without blocking it. I'd been considering these panels for quite some time; the failure of my Sunsei panel gave me the "perfect excuse" to buy them. I'll mount them aft of the mast but forward of the hatch slider; they'll be enough out of the way that I doubt if I'll step on them, but I recognize that $#!+ happens and that's why I chose these rugged panels.

John, when that Sunforce panel breaks, you'll be able to buy replacement panels cheap at Harbor Freight.

[Highlander]

Hi Guy's throw your cash my way

I bought one of these a few yrs ago 15 watt for about $66. on Sale of course $$ , never did get the time to install it yet Sunforce


j

I'm replacing one of those, or at any rate a Sunsei model that's almost identical. I've had it for two years; it got a couple of "chips" in two corners last winter; this winter it cracked down the center of the panel, along its long axis. It isn't putting out any electricity any more.

I'm replacing it, as I posted above, with two 12-watt Sunwize SolCharger panels - $130 each from "Mr. Solar," an online seller in Maryland. I received the panels this morning; they are built on a fiberglass panel substrate, and covered with a 4mm-thick, clear polymer "encapsulant." The product literature from Sunwize describes them as "vandal-resistant" and "flame-retardant." They feel sturdy enough to get stepped on without getting damaged.

My old panel is on top of the hatch slider, which meant I wouldn't be able to install a dodger without blocking it. I'd been considering these panels for quite some time; the failure of my Sunsei panel gave me the "perfect excuse" to buy them. I'll mount them aft of the mast but forward of the hatch slider; they'll be enough out of the way that I doubt if I'll step on them, but I recognize that $#!+ happens and that's why I chose these rugged panels.

John, when that Sunforce panel breaks, you'll be able to buy replacement panels cheap at Harbor Freight.

Rick
They'd be even cheaper if your were to send me a couple for my birthday !!

J

[seahouse]

Briefly, the number of days of full sun, and the distance from the equator (=your latitude), and how clean the collector (sand, snow) is kept, assuming equal technologies (there are at leat 2 photovoltaic) and competent installation methods(tracking etc). I'm a big fan of these technologies, and a participant in some, but the output and time to return on investment claims are exaggerated.
Your results may vary.
ON EDIT: OK, I just noticed this thread has been edited and postings removed, so my comment might seem incongruous, I made changes to this post, but it might have made it worse.
-B.

[Crikey]

For example, I can truthfully say that my personal income is "up to" $5 million per year.

Seahouse, I'm going to 'occupy' your boat!

[seahouse]

Hey Crikey!

Yabbut... Of course you realize that by that same line of thinking you also make "up to" $5 million per year. So maybe it is I who should "occupy" your boat.

- Brian.

[seahouse]

Yipes, I hope no one thinks I actually make anywhere near 5M a year; if you do, go back and re-read my post more closely. I don't want to get kidnapped for ransom or anything! (I confess- it's a bad example; I was pretty tired when I wrote that one).

[abruzzi]

Interesting. I've never gotten to the point of investigating solar chargers (I should. NM has more sun than just about anyone else) Are those cells in a rigid frame, or is that something I would have to fabricate? Also, I'm assuming I'd need some kind of charging circuit to regulate charging into the battery?

Geof

[Sumner]

...Are those cells in a rigid frame, or is that something I would have to fabricate? Also, I'm assuming I'd need some kind of charging circuit to regulate charging into the battery?

Geof

There is a frame around the glass that is about 1 1/2 inches high, but you have to provide a support structure of some sort.

We started with ....



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-22.html

...the 40 watt panel above that cost $135 2 years ago and was a good price then.

Then we went to ...



http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner ... de-33.html

180 watts total shown above, but wrapped a panel around a piling in Florida (the one on the left in the photo above). Not a good idea having the panels sticking out if you are someplace that has pilings are you are going to such a place.

We broke the 80 watt down there and SolarBlvd sent us a new one to finish the trip with. It was longer than the one it replaced, so stuck out even more. They had the 80's on sale then for $159 (now $129), so we bought 5 more to use on the Endeavour along with the one they sent while we were in FL.

I ordered a 100 watt, for $199, now $135, to replace the new 80 for the Mac and rearranged...



...how they are mounted so that they don't stick out as much any more. So now there is a 40, 60 and 100 for 200 watts. The 80 watt that was on there is going on the Endeavour. Also the 40 watt above can tilt if we want to. Right now the boat is parked north/south by the house and the 40 is tilted to the south for the lower winter sun angles. I don't have the build for the new mounting up yet on our site.

Yes you need a charge controller. The cheapest way to start is with a PWM charge controller ...

http://www.solarblvd.com/Charge-Control ... 6119a86a01

...and is what we started with when we only had the 40 watt panel. When we added the other panels....

http://www.solarblvd.com/Charge-Control ... _info.html

.... we went to a MPPT charge controller as they are more efficient and since there is a limit to how many panels you can put on the boat we wanted to maximize what we had. We will use a similar one, larger, on the Endeavour.

Once you have some solar on the boat and a 'real' compressor type frig you will be a happy boater if you are one who stays out for more than a couple days. If I can help anymore just let me know.

Sum

Our Endeavour 37

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Our MacGregor S Pages

Mac-Venture Links

[Rick Westlake]

I've been a long time gone ... came in looking for this thread, because I'm planning to buy some Aurinco panels for my Bristol.

Never posted the way I installed the Sunwize SolCharger panels, did I? They're at this link: Cabin-top solar panels

[reastmure]

I installed some Aurinco panels two years ago. I love them. They are very light and thin, fit nicely on the deck and you can walk on them. Yeah pricey but works with these boats very well. See my mod post 'solar system'.