Using One Large Solar Panel For My Sailboat

Small panels maintain or trickle charge batteries while you re unplugged from shore power.

Using one large solar panel for my sailboat.

A simple solar wiring sizing chart can help select the proper size. A very good idea that most sailing vessels should embrace. The electrical requirement for lighting vhf and refrigeration to keep a few drinks cold would drain our batteries. Your required power output can be divided among them as well.

Many sailboats have more than one solar panel. Some values are from experience and others are accepted rules of thumb. We present here a simple analysis based on the test boat used for our recent report on choosing and installing a solar panel. 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.

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. This means you won t need to move the panels to follow the sun or as the boat shifts at anchor. First you need to decide how much power you need then you can easily decide how many solar panels you will need to install.

If the boat has normal monocrystalline solar panels i e. One system to charge the batteries and another system to provide 120 volt ac power for household appliances. Having multiple solar panels also allows you to have smaller panels which tend to get in the way less. 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.

Not the high efficiency ones with sunpower cells they will produce around 1 4 of the rated watts output in amp hours per day. 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. 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.

Charging with solar panels. For more details on choosing and installing a solar panel see the march 2018 issue of practical sailor online. A solar power installation on a sailboat is made up of two independent systems. In the charging system the solar panels convert sunlight into electrical current and deliver it to the batteries via a solar charge controller.

What you should still add or reinstall if it s the case is a wind turbine generator. Remember to throw one in your shopping cart. A common question among boaters contemplating solar panel installation is how much solar power do i need for my boat.