Solbian solar panels

This is a short post until we add some additional details.

**Now with an update at the bottom!**

First off, I can’t thank Bruce Schwab at Ocean Planet Energy enough.  Their support with these panels has been phenomenal.  If you need cool offshore cutting edge gear, give his website a look.

We installed 3-105watt and 2-128watt panels, for a total of 571 watts.
We chose the lightweight Solbian solar panels as they have amazing performance and are super light weight. Something like 3.3 pounds. It’s hard to see the aft panels because they’re so shiny!

With this 571watt setup we’ve seen a max of about 33-36amps charging. Not too shabby for free, quiet power. (Free is a relative term usually reserved for government programs)

But, we’ve got plans to add another 420watts!

Solbian solar panels

Although we mounted them to the top sides of the dodger and bimini, this picture represents our second try at it. Essentially what we did was take the solar panels to the local canvas shop. They sewed velcro to the edges. This was inserted into a canvas piece that’s zippered to the top of the dodger. It makes for easy removal.

A key note here. We had to resource 1/4″ corrugated plastic sheets to support the panels. Additionally, we have a stainless bar under the dodger that supports the whole package. So… these panels are much lighter, but they aren’t without some issues. They have to be supported or they’ll bow in the middle.

As for the controllers, I used the Genasun GV-10 controllers. One for each panel. This keeps a shaded panel from taking down the whole system.

2 Genasun GV-10 controllers

Also of note, this picture is of the aft panel controllers. After the controllers, the wires go to a buss bar and then by heavy gauge wire to the batteries. If too small wire gauge is used, the loss of voltage in a system like this could be dramatic. Oversize everything.

This next picture is of the forward controllers for the forward 3 panels.

Genasun solar controllers

You can see how after the controllers, their combined output is taken to a buss bar and then by heavy gauge wire to the batteries.

I can read the instantaneous amperage input on my Philippi system as each array of panels runs through its own shunt that is monitored by the Philippi. This is an actual reading from October.

philippi monitoring system

Check out this awesome monitoring system at Coastal Climate Control

**August 2017 Update**

We’ve added another 420w of power now bringing us to just shy of 1000 watts!  1000w is… well lets just call it 1 kilowatt of power.. or, for all intensive purposes… it’s 1 jigawatt of power!  We installed the 4 panels over our huge davits.

The panels are designed so that they can be zipped off in pairs.  Then, these pairs can be folded for storage if needed.  The whole system can be taken down in under 15 minutes.

Base for the removable panels

Here’s a pair of panels ready to be zipped into the base piece.

Folded pair ready to be zipped on

Pair zipped in

This is the view of the davits with the panels ready to make silent power!

Finished piece over the davits

A topside view of the entire 1 kilowatt system.  9 panels for a total of less than 36 pounds!  You can see them here… but from water level… they’re hidden.  Better though, with the Velcro on all sides of the panels, they are firmly in place.

I don’t have a guess yet… but I’m thinking that 50-60 amps of power charging is a real possibility.  Each panel still with its own Genasun GV-10 controller.  Three separate arrays, all feeding power to our 740ah battery bank.

Top down view of the entire 1000w solar array

Thanks for reading! Make sure to check out the rest of our website and follow along with our travels at CruisingVolare.