Wdeertz
Senior Member
Ok I've read the forum and Nigel Calder's book and am about to bite the bullet and add solar power. The boat came with 3 100W panels on the Bimini when I purchased it 2 years ago but I removed these panels as I didn't like not being able to close the Bimini top in high winds. My current battery bank is 380Ahr and my daily usage is generally about 200Ahr. While at anchor we generally run the generator for 2 hrs for microwave, water heater and juicing the batteries with a 60amp battery charger. My goal is not to totally rely on solar for my power needs but reduce my generator run time.
My thought is if I start with 380Ahr and use 200Ahr I'll be at 180Ahr in the morning at which time I'll run the generator for 2 hrs (in the morning before peak sun intensity) at bulk charge of about 120Ahr so this will get me to 300Ahr in the battery. Looking at my limited spacing I think I can accommodate 2 x 175W panels and connect them to each of their own MPPT controller to maximize output.
Will 350W of solar be sufficient to top the flooded battery banks to 100% on a typical sunny day? On cloudy days my plan would be to only bulk charge up to 85% and then ensure I get back to 100% on the next sunny day. I spend the majority of my time in Florida so usually we never go more than 3 days without some decent sun. Appreciate any comments from the experts, thanks.
My thought is if I start with 380Ahr and use 200Ahr I'll be at 180Ahr in the morning at which time I'll run the generator for 2 hrs (in the morning before peak sun intensity) at bulk charge of about 120Ahr so this will get me to 300Ahr in the battery. Looking at my limited spacing I think I can accommodate 2 x 175W panels and connect them to each of their own MPPT controller to maximize output.
Will 350W of solar be sufficient to top the flooded battery banks to 100% on a typical sunny day? On cloudy days my plan would be to only bulk charge up to 85% and then ensure I get back to 100% on the next sunny day. I spend the majority of my time in Florida so usually we never go more than 3 days without some decent sun. Appreciate any comments from the experts, thanks.