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Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 26, 2017 20:36:59 GMT
Solar power is one of the next things on my list. I have probably about 10-12' of roof space available for panels, what could I reasonably expect to get, and how much would it cost? Are there any recommendations for installers in the east Midlands?
My fridge is by far the greatest consumer of power, other than that I have the usual lights, TV, laptop charger etc. I currently have one small solar panel which fits beneath the sliding roof hatch, but i it works at all I suspect it tops up the starter battery.
TIA.
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Post by Andyberg on Nov 26, 2017 20:54:56 GMT
If your good with your hands (fnarr fnarr) and you have a basic understanding of how stuff works, it's pretty much a piece of piss... Sure there's a few on here can give you any advice or help you need to complete your install, save yourself a fortune on paying someone a day rate to do the work!
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Post by Mr Stabby on Nov 27, 2017 8:36:44 GMT
Yes, I imagine I could probably do it myself if installation is likely to be expensive. Would 200w be enough? Where do you normally run the wiring?
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Post by peterboat on Nov 27, 2017 9:02:23 GMT
Have a look at ebay plenty of panels on there, I fitted latterly flexible panels which a stuck down with sicaflex, ideally you want an MPPT solar controller as they are more efficient. I went for the flexible panels because they are harder to kick or get blown away once stuck down, the slight loss of efficiency I can live with. Go for as much as you can fit and afford, wiring two choices either grommet it through the roof or make it into a loom and run it down the handrails. It really is an easy job and one best done asap as the savings start straight away
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Post by markhez on Nov 27, 2017 9:03:11 GMT
Could do with knowing how far it is widthways across your roof (between handrails if you want to keep solar inside of them). Running the panels lengthways you could only fit 2 of these 260w panels www.bimblesolar.com/solar/individual/canadian260w-used 520w of solar will keep up with your usage (presuming you're not on the laptop/tv 24 hours a day!) between about April and September. Through winter 520w won't even keep the fridge going some days. What is taking the rest of the roof up? If storage boxes, solar panels make great lids for them! So for 520w setup, you'd be looking at £200 for second hand, but guaranteed panels 175 quid for a 40a Tracer MPPT controller www.bimblesolar.com/offgrid/mppt/Tracer4215BN£25 for the screen/monitoring unit for the above controller (which i'd recommend) Can't price cabling without knowing distance Can't price brackets without knowing what type you'd like Should be about £500 all in, and installation is easy enough to do yourself.
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Post by lollygagger on Nov 27, 2017 9:13:22 GMT
I can tell you for sure that 150w isn't enough to run a fridge.
The MPPT thing - not quite the wonderful thing - only works on bulk charge, for the rest of the charging they're no better so if you planned to bulk charge on your engine and finish off with solar I believe mppt is a waste of money. I stand ready to be corrected though.
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Post by markhez on Nov 27, 2017 10:01:04 GMT
MPPT is hugely more efficient especially when using domestic panels with a VMP of around 30v. Yes if the tail current has dropped off to below a point whereby the panels aren't required to put in as much as they can, then yes I suppose you could see it as pointless, this is very rarely the case! It also allows a true 3 stage charge and equalisation.
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Post by markhez on Nov 27, 2017 10:03:15 GMT
If you want to only get 130w out of a 260w panel, then go ahead and use a PWM controller
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Post by peterboat on Nov 27, 2017 10:19:52 GMT
I can tell you for sure that 150w isn't enough to run a fridge. The MPPT thing - not quite the wonderful thing - only works on bulk charge, for the rest of the charging they're no better so if you planned to bulk charge on your engine and finish off with solar I believe mppt is a waste of money. I stand ready to be corrected though. Because of my MPPT controller i have about 100 volts feeding into it this allows more of the usable power to be used in low light levels. A PWM controller cuts off all the voltage it doesnt need and throws it away, an MPPT controller converts all the voltage to usable energy, so as the ad says its up to 30% more efficient. The bathtub is going to have about 2 kilowatts of panels on it which on a sunny day will allow me to cruise for free.
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Post by markhez on Nov 27, 2017 10:28:40 GMT
I can tell you for sure that 150w isn't enough to run a fridge. The MPPT thing - not quite the wonderful thing - only works on bulk charge, for the rest of the charging they're no better so if you planned to bulk charge on your engine and finish off with solar I believe mppt is a waste of money. I stand ready to be corrected though. Because of my MPPT controller i have about 100 volts feeding into it this allows more of the usable power to be used in low light levels. A PWM controller cuts off all the voltage it doesnt need and throws it away, an MPPT controller converts all the voltage to usable energy, so as the ad says its up to 30% more efficient. The bathtub is going to have about 2 kilowatts of panels on it which on a sunny day will allow me to cruise for free. You will probably find that on a boat, it's much more efficient to run the panels in parallel not series and keep the input to MPPT at about 30v (presuming you're on a 12v system). What solar controller do you have?
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Post by quaysider on Nov 27, 2017 11:33:08 GMT
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Post by markhez on Nov 27, 2017 11:56:38 GMT
Just read through your blog post, you REALLY need to change your panels from series wired to parallel wired. This not only mitigates partial shading, but on tracer controllers there is a bug in the algorithm meaning they don't start tracking until solar input is over 1a, this obviously takes 3 times more sunlight in your setup than if they were wired parallel, so at the high series voltages you're using that means it wont start tracking for ages after sun up, and will stop tracking a long time before sunset.
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Post by quaysider on Nov 27, 2017 12:29:46 GMT
I cant REALLY change them as otherwise the wire I used at to go from the front of the boat to the back will not be thick enough to take the higher current at the lower voltage if you follow. it's a long run so doing them as is kept the current low until the the charge increases it.
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Post by markhez on Nov 27, 2017 12:38:59 GMT
I cant REALLY change them as otherwise the wire I used at to go from the front of the boat to the back will not be thick enough to take the higher current at the lower voltage if you follow. it's a long run so doing them as is kept the current low until the the charge increases it. Honestly, the amount of power you'll be losing is phenominal. What size cable is it wired in?
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Post by kris on Nov 27, 2017 13:08:19 GMT
I can tell you for sure that 150w isn't enough to run a fridge. The MPPT thing - not quite the wonderful thing - only works on bulk charge, for the rest of the charging they're no better so if you planned to bulk charge on your engine and finish off with solar I believe mppt is a waste of money. I stand ready to be corrected though. Because of my MPPT controller i have about 100 volts feeding into it this allows more of the usable power to be used in low light levels. A PWM controller cuts off all the voltage it doesnt need and throws it away, an MPPT controller converts all the voltage to usable energy, so as the ad says its up to 30% more efficient. The bathtub is going to have about 2 kilowatts of panels on it which on a sunny day will allow me to cruise for free. Peter where do you get your traction batteries from? Oh and by the way mr stabby put solar panels on your boat you miser.
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