How Many Solar Panels For A Sail Boat

Having multiple solar panels also allows you to have smaller panels which tend to get in the way less.

How many solar panels for a sail boat. July 2016 i just took an informal poll from my boater and rv camper friends. In the charging system the solar panels convert sunlight into electrical current and deliver it to the batteries via a solar charge controller. The number of solar panels you ll need for your boat not only depends on the type and size of your boat but also the quality of the equipment you choose how many sun hours the boat sees and the amount of electricity you require. In other words the marine solar panel is just a solar panel that collects energy from the sun and uses it to power the boat in many ways.

The most popular use of this type and the sunpower marine solar panels is to recharge the batteries in the boat but it can be used to power the electrical system of the sailboat. How to work out how many solar panels you need. For solar take the rated wattage x 5 hours 12 amp hours while on passage and wattage x 7 hours 12 amp hours while at anchor sails do not shade and the boom can be rigged out to the side. In summary if the devices and hours used in the above list seem to be in line with your energy budget then go with a single 100 watt solar panel.

Some boats can get by with one 100 watt solar panel or even smaller while others require a multi panel setup. If you think you will need twice the power of the above energy budget then install 2 separate 100 watt panels. Don t be fooled by solar panels showing 150 watts of energy you will rarely get that out of your solar panel. A solar power installation on a sailboat is made up of two independent systems.

This is far below the rated capacity sailors in the tropics will do better and sailors farther north or sailing in the winter more poorly but this is. Your required power output can be divided among them as well.