Using One Large Solar Panel For My Sailboat

A simple solar wiring sizing chart can help select the proper size.

Using one large solar panel for my sailboat.

For more details on choosing and installing a solar panel see the march 2018 issue of practical sailor online. Charging with solar panels. We present here a simple analysis based on the test boat used for our recent report on choosing and installing a solar panel. Many sailboats have more than one solar panel.

This is an important question to ponder before planning your solar installation. Solar panel wiring the size wiring you use will depend on your panel array size and the length of your wire. Small panels maintain or trickle charge batteries while you re unplugged from shore power. Your required power output can be divided among them as well.

Best marine solar panels for sailboats power boats and yachts for keeping the batteries charged updated 3 2018 keeping our batteries charged was a never ending problem while cruising on our catalina 34 sailboat. So with these types of panels the boat will need at least 100 watts 25 amp hours x 4 100 of solar just to keep the fridge and freezer running. Wire made for solar panel use has a uv protective covering and the round wire will fit the crimped on mc4 connectors. There is a switch in the positive wire between the solar panel and the controller.

If the boat has normal monocrystalline solar panels i e. A very good idea that most sailing vessels should embrace. Installing one or more photovoltaic solar panels on your boat is a great way to keep your batteries topped off and in larger installations replace the power consumed by house loads. This means you won t need to move the panels to follow the sun or as the boat shifts at anchor.

A solar power installation on a sailboat is made up of two independent systems. One system to charge the batteries and another system to provide 120 volt ac power for household appliances. What you should still add or reinstall if it s the case is a wind turbine generator. In the charging system the solar panels convert sunlight into electrical current and deliver it to the batteries via a solar charge controller.

The two solar panels are wired in parallel using an mc4 t branch connector if one panel is shaded the other panel will still provide full power to the controller. Having multiple solar panels also allows you to have smaller panels which tend to get in the way less. First you need to decide how much power you need then you can easily decide how many solar panels you will need to install. In a separate video i saw that extensive solar panels used in a boat could even propel a boat albeit smaller one for some time that much was the energy generated.

Some values are from experience and others are accepted rules of thumb. The electrical requirement for lighting vhf and refrigeration to keep a few drinks cold would drain our batteries. Ok let s get.