1st idea for solar panel mount

[Lostsailor13]

200w monocrystillne mounted to 1in handrail with 4pcs 1in stainless split collars with 90° of swing,will also double as awning type shade thingy, maybe add stay cable if it works out do port side,still looking at mppt controller,have batteries picked out

 

[rsn48]

Will the solar panels when flared out inhibit your access to the bow in an emergency?

 

[FlyWright]

I'd also be concerned about shading the panels.

 

[psneeld]

Here was my solution for 2 panels, the other 2 are not mounted and moved around the boat to get the best sun angle. The ones on the side of the flybridge have 45 degree and 90 degree supports.

 

[Lostsailor13]

I'm usually pretty good at this kinda stuff but am having a rough time,where woud you guys with panels already suggest

 

[psneeld]

I'm usually pretty good at this kinda stuff but am having a rough time,where woud you guys with panels already suggest

I think your suggestion is plausible, but I would have to measure and walk it so to speak to be sure.

 

[Jeff F]

Looks like it could work reasonably well.

There was brief discussion in a recent thread about using multiple controllers. I think there might be a good case for having port and starboard MPPT units sized to the panel(s) on each side to accommodate the difference in shading and orientation. Maybe others can comment on this.

I love the look of the W36.

 

[koliver]

Your low location will be shaded by the fairing above 1/2 of the time. Any supports installed below the panels will be in the way.
Move them up to the upper rail and you eliminate both those problems. See post #3.

 

[Marco Flamingo]

Is the panel attached to the handhold? I'd prefer to stay onboard even if the batteries are low.

 

[C lectric]

Your low location will be shaded by the fairing above 1/2 of the time. Any supports installed below the panels will be in the way.
Move them up to the upper rail and you eliminate both those problems. See post #3.

Did you mean post #4 where the panels are attached to the uppermost rail?

 

[koliver]

Did you mean post #4 where the panels are attached to the uppermost rail?

Exactly. That is where mine are. They still get a little shade from the bimini and the radar, but they are away from the lower fairing shade. They are supported from below, by a post attached above the handrail and angled out and up, which wouldn't be possible if they were attached at the handrail.

 

[Lostsailor13]

Could I see a photo or 2 of them up and down please

 

[C lectric]

We have a friend who attached his panels to the upper most rail on the bridge.
He cheated by installing a piece of square aluminum tube arranged forward and aft between his radar post and a a bow at the aft end of the bridge which was installed by the P.O.
On the tube he installed 4 camcleats, one for each panel with a line to pull and hold the panel. Now as long as the boat is oriented N-S he can angle the panels to face the sun as the position changes.

To get them to tilt initially he must manually start the tilt but afterwards it is just adjust the lines.

If the boat is anchored or oriented in an unfavourable manner for the tilting then he just pulls them up to flat.

Works for him and quite well.

 

[Xlantic]

You could also design and build a hard-top and incorporate a panel or two in it.

More expensive but you may value the hard-top over the Bimini.

 

[koliver]

Could I see a photo or 2 of them up and down please

here, at #10:
https://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s31/my-new-solar-system-44588.html

 

[Lostsailor13]

I had a nice bimini that came with the boat,it took away from the lines I thought so I threw it in the dumpster,maybe a nice low profile frame might work if I could get it to match the lines

 

[Bud]

I had a nice bimini that came with the boat,it took away from the lines I thought so I threw it in the dumpster,maybe a nice low profile frame might work if I could get it to match the lines

That sounds worth pursuing. I personally mounted my two solar panels flat on my pulpit. I will send pics later. For me the panels work better flat and far away from any shadows. The idea of having to adjust them to the sun was not appealing. I can see a sailboat which has to tack and does not usually run an engine underway having panels on both sides that are adjustable.

Bud

 

[psneeld]

No panel works best flat unless you are on or near the equator....and even then for only for part of the day.


They make expensive sun tracking mounts for a reason.


But every mounting location/boat can be different and that's why I have to adjustable and 2 portable. Not as convenient as permanently mounted ones, but I have seen high output on panels due to being adjustable when flat mounted have all but shutdown...more than makes up for shading at other times.

 

[mvweebles]

You will have significant shading issues and your foredeck will be inaccessible. Why not move panels up to top tail as koliver suggested? May need some minor modification, but not much. Could even use them underway. You will definitely want separate MPPT controllers to avoid shading on one affecting the other

BTW - yours is the first W36 I've seen without a round porthole aft of the side windows. Is there any evidence it was removed? Or do you think the original owner had it built that way?

Peter

 

[Xlantic]

I once considered mounting a panel or two on the boom, in a way that would be easy to mount and dismount.

Adjustment to the sun could be done by twisting the panels along the axis of the boom and by swinging the boom itself to one side or the other or raising or lowering..

 

[Bud]

No panel works best flat unless you are on or near the equator....and even then for only for part of the day.


They make expensive sun tracking mounts for a reason.


But every mounting location/boat can be different and that's why I have to adjustable and 2 portable. Not as convenient as permanently mounted ones, but I have seen high output on panels due to being adjustable when flat mounted have all but shutdown...more than makes up for shading at other times.

I suppose if you sit by your adjutable panel and adjust it as the sun comes up and then as the sun goes down you could do better than a panel mounted flat. That is not what happens in reality especially on a boat that is moored or anchored and swinging. Common sense.

Bud

 

[psneeld]

I suppose if you sit by your adjutable panel and adjust it as the sun comes up and then as the sun goes down you could do better than a panel mounted flat. That is not what happens in reality especially on a boat that is moored or anchored and swinging. Common sense.

Bud

My real world experience at anchor for at least two hundred days suggests it is worth adjusting them occasionally during the day to get better angles.....without sitting by it, just adjusting it when convenient.

Usually at anchor, my appointment schedule is light enough to be convenient to do it.

Look at published data about angle and efficiency, even with swinging, part of the time direct facing is better than flat for when the sun is less than 45 degrees.

That is especially true on days when it is cloudy or partly cloudy mid day and 45 degree or vertical close to sunrise and sunset adds many more amp hrs than flat will.

I guess if you have a big enough array, no real need to angle, but for those with limited space and less than 500 watt arrays, it makes a huge difference.

Yep, common sense.

 

[FlyWright]

...and if your panels are adjustable, you have the option to move them. If flat is good enough for what you need, you leave 'em flat.

It's nice to have options.

 

[Bud]

My real world experience at anchor for at least two hundred days suggests it is worth adjusting them occasionally during the day to get better angles.....without sitting by it, just adjusting it when convenient.

Usually at anchor, my appointment schedule is light enough to be convenient to do it.

Look at published data about angle and efficiency, even with swinging, part of the time direct facing is better than flat for when the sun is less than 45 degrees.

That is especially true on days when it is cloudy or partly cloudy mid day and 45 degree or vertical close to sunrise and sunset adds many more amp hrs than flat will.

I guess if you have a big enough array, no real need to angle, but for those with limited space and less than 500 watt arrays, it makes a huge difference.

Yep, common sense.

Well as I said in my original statement "For me they work better flat" Your talking theoretical they work better at the right angle, true, But the reality is unless you want to babysit them or set a timer it is not very practical, especially if your not on the vessel. lets say you are snorkling, diving fishing, or just cruising in the dinghy socializing. IMHO if you add the dynamics of a boat and the ocean it is not worth the effort to adjust. Theoretically a 12db gain VHF antenna works better than a 6db gain VHF antenna, but not on a boat that rolls it works worse. I am sure because the abundance of info out there is from fixed panel mounting on houses and such that they work better facing south at an angle. But on a boat thats a tough task and IMHO not reasonbly possible.

Bud

 

[psneeld]

I guess the part about real world data at anchor was wasted breath and the hundreds of panel articles suggesting even flat at most lattitudes for 2 seasons is not near optimal.


Even RV people have real world data and don't sit by them all day......


3. Get the Most Out of the Sun's Rays

With the panels down on the ground, it is easy for me to tilt them up, down, left, or right. This allows me to adjust the angle of the panel to match where the sun is in the sky, giving me the most amps per hour. Turning and tilting the panels can increase the rate of charge going to the batteries by a significant amount. For example, over the winter, we saw an increase of up to 40% more power coming in.


https://www.winnebago.com/lifestyle...-of-portable-solar-panels-compared-to-rooftop




Have fun.

 

[catalinajack]

I am considering installing solar. If I do, they will be optionally adjustable. Then I can adjust if I feel like. For those who say that adjusting makes no significant difference, answer me this. Why do solar panels, mounted flat, produce so much more juice at noon than at 8am? Could it be the angle of the sun?

 

[psneeld]

I am considering installing solar. If I do, they will be optionally adjustable. Then I can adjust if I feel like. For those who say that adjusting makes no significant difference, answer me this. Why do solar panels, mounted flat, produce so much more juice at noon than at 8am? Could it be the angle of the sun?

I have had over 5 amps at almost sunset out of a 100 watt panel on good days where the flat panels were not producing at all.

 

[FlyWright]

In the case where you have lots of real estate for extra panels or lack the access or ability to adjust them, then I can see mounting them flat and leaving them there. You'll still get some benefit from the solar panels.

It's only those who feel the need to maximize the solar panel output and design an adjustable mount into their system that will benefit from their panels' maximum output.

Nothing wrong with either approach...just depends on your needs and desires.

 

[mvweebles]

I am considering installing solar. If I do, they will be optionally adjustable. Then I can adjust if I feel like. For those who say that adjusting makes no significant difference, answer me this. Why do solar panels, mounted flat, produce so much more juice at noon than at 8am? Could it be the angle of the sun?

I installed a 16 panel system at my condo in Playa del Carmen, south of Cancun. Around 20-degrees latitude. One of the US Govt energy agencies has a very comprehensive software product that allows very granular system design.

Long story short, Panels to be mounted on a pergola. Best option was to have the panels flat - well, almost 3-degrees to the north. I ran the software model that way and at an optimum 20-degree slope. Turned out the difference was around 5%-7% efficiency loss by having the panels flat.

Peter

 

[psneeld]

Also in the US Government's design info. Even more cost effective than expensive tracking systems is me moving them a couple times a day or whenever it's convenient to do so.



https://www.energy.gov/eere/solar/solar-photovoltaic-system-design-basics



As systems have improved, the cost-benefit analysis increasingly favors tracking for ground-mounted systems.


But as I posted earlier...no real need if your array vastly outproduces your demand.