MacGregorSailors.com

I"ve used solar for over 10 years now and really like it. A few key things to keep in mind.
1. The more watts of rated output, the lower the cost per amp.
2. Figure your daily energy needs which at the most should be half of your battery capacity and get amps to support that figure.
3. Figure that you will get at least five hours of full capacity each sunny day. More like six or seven hours near the equator.
4. Figure half of rated output on stormy overcast days, or extreme latitudes where the sun is always low to the horizon.
5.Use at least two panels so thaey can be positioned to avoid simultaneous damage in collision or avoid simultaneous sun shadow from rigging or boom, etc. Ex: one on each stern quarter.
6. Use a charge controller with pulse width modulator to maintain batteries teh best. Rated to exceed the output of your panels by several amps.
7. Modern panels like Kyocera and Sharp are 14% efficient and warranted for 25 years.Think carefully before buying used, 10 ear old panels with less efficiency.
8. Ideally you mount the panels where they can be adjusted to sun angle for maximum efficiency. It's not absolutely necessary unless you are somehwat underpowered.

Other than a simple 11 watt panel from Unisolar, the only brand I have experience with and it's been excellent is Kyocera. I have 2 Kyocera 120 watt, 7 amp paels on my travel trailer's three battery system. I have 2 Kyocera 50 watt panels for the arch I'm making for the back of my 26X. Kyocera to my research several times, has the lowerst cost per amp compared to Sharp, GE, Shell/BP/Siemens and other, newer brands. Performance is also warranted for 25 years.

I use a Morningstar Sunsaver 20 amp charge controller for the travel trailer. I will use a Sunsaver 10 amp for the 26x. Both have terminals for running aload directly off the controller, and are relatively less expensive than some others. Absolutely no maintenace required. LEDs tell you when the panels are charging or if the load on the batteries is exceeding their curerent state of charge.

Folks I've dealt with over the years with excellent service are: www.rvsolarelectric.com, www.backwoodsolar.com, and northern arizona wind and solar but I don't recall their url.

There is a world wide shortage of solar panels right now due to unprecedented high demand especially in Europe and Asia due to rising cost of energy. I"ve seen prices go up on some brands by 50% in the last year. Factories will catch up and the prices might come down, or might not. My crystal ball says the energy prices are not going down, only up, so demand will continue to accelerate. Now is as good a time as energy to go solar. YOu may have to wait a month or so to get what you want, or pay much more, but in any case, I think down the road you will be very glad you did.

Hope this helps.

Divecoz wrote:Doesn't the Hunter have a web site ?? Did he she they do an extended around Florida cruise ?? Looks the Hunter very familiar as does she for some reason . . . .

Yes she is BOAT BABE and a good looking 1st mate. Plenty nice pictures of the cat on her site. I cant find it at the moment. Some of the pictures of BOAT BABE aint bad either.

Richandlori just posted it in the pub menu I was looking at it last night see they ran aground on there trip shows pics of damage wonder what he was looking at when that happened not nice nice boat mods. lots of energy to burn up on her to lots of nice swim wear "to" wonder who done her laundry

Don't you have a daughter around her age????

I have 2 girls..... when they get older..... not sure how I am going to handle having them bring a bunch of their girlfriends over for a dip in the pool.... me thinks I will go to the garage and um... build something

Beene

Ya better learn to lighten up there I've got two daughters 28,29 yrs . wait till the lads start coming around you anwser the door with baseball bat in hand & say something like she's leaving here a maiden & better come back one , on the way out the door you give your daughter a dime & she say's whats this for "you tell her in front of the guy" She's not amused I don't care he's got the message give him a cold stare & at him as they leave . You won't have to wait up at night worring your self to death . I remember when my girls were in their young teens I thought its time for alittle talk "just a reminder" was asked by my youngest do you think we are sluts "NO" end of disscusion. Well I knew I'll never have to worry about them wife done a good job before she passed on. Anyway its all about trust but you'll still keep your fingers crossed . As your daughters get into adulthood you'll be surprised at some of the things they'll say to you so be liberal with them they'll share more of their lives with you O ya if you don't like the looks of the guy a six inch spike through the end of the bat is abit extreme but it works he won't be back .
when your daughters bring a girlfriend home when their in their 30-35s & the friend sitts on your lapp & askes you what would you like for Xmas tell her something nice for the boat only teasing you "beene" . So are we still on for the boat show

WHen my young ladies start the dating scene, we already have Uncle Jimmy on tap to come over and meet the dates while he cleans his pistol collection....

Update....the project is done:









I now have two Kryovera 130W panels and a BZ250 MPPT solar charge controler.

Purchased the DC3 system from here:
http://www.partsonsale.com/campers2.html

Things are coming along in the solar panel world.

Here is an article published recently. Boeing Spectrolab just tested a panel that exceeds 40% efficiency, a new record.

http://www.webwire.com/ViewPressRel.asp?aId=24666

Just announced yesterday in the news-Wal-Mart has committed to upgrading all their stores and warehouses with solar cells to supplement their power usage. The announcement didn't mention how much capacity will be added to each store,but depending on how fast the program moves forward,they may overwhelm the production capacity for up to 3 years.
My guess would be that they use multiple suppliers for the initial phase,rather than wait for production to catch up with one supplier.

I'm still a year or two from adding a solar system to power a refrig. on our boat,and I'm thinking this can only lower prices in the long term.

When Wal-Mart releases figures for energy cost savings after a year in operation,it may well tip other commercial operations into solar use,bringing solar in as a true contender in energy production.

Kinda an "Oh duh!" moment, to contemplate the vast acreage of roofing over their stores, eh? But Walmart understands just how massive they are .... bet their announcement follows several pilot projects, and negotiation with a Chinese manufacturer.

Just a guess, but Walmart's project might easily be bringing an entirely new manufacturer on-line, rather than sapping current production capacity ... ??? We just might find Walmart offering the latest and greatest in consumer Solar products, right in those aisles.

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What wouild be neat is if Walmart or Costco ordered millions of units, then allowed some of them to be sold in their stores to you or I at discount prices. Of course for efficiency, they may be using roof grids that have huge panels of several hundred watts each. No room on a Mac for one of those!
My solar panel sources tell me that backorders and higher prices are in the pipeline, not lower prices. I've been waiting six months for some 50 watt panels. World wide demand has been increasing at a far greater pace than here in our rich and wasteful society due to the much higher cost of energy than we have. Increased production anywhere in the world will still go to the parts of the world that demand it most, like the China region and Europe. China is making a huge political and economic effort to increase solar production of energy at the same time they are trying to buy or control more oil and gas related sources. The EU is doing much the same. It is the US goverment that has up to this point fiddled while Rome burned so to speak, or more currently and accurately, listened to lobbyists of the oil companies instead of creating our own althernative sources.
My thought is get them while you can at todays' prices. The same brand 40 watt panel you can get here for $225 is selling faster than they can stock in China for $435 each, India for $450 each and Africa for $500 each. Where do you think suppliers will warehouse the most units?

Pardon the parochial cynicism, but at this moment in history, saving energy seems a valid, national priority! Even if it costs energy and pollution elsewhere, solar capacity seems a better investment (for the world's future) than most anything else being produced in China - doesn't it??

Pricing on solar panels will fall due to manufacturing technology advances...I would not buy at todays prices to secure a deal.

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