Each brand has a spec sheet for comparison. Another point to be wary of (wire size) is that they perform better in colder temps. The spec sheet will give you an average temperature for reference, but thet will underperform or over perform based on temperature.
My panels are mounted about 3-4" above my pilothouse roof. I've not had issues with bird nests underneath. However, I'm in a different geographic area.
My panels sit about 2" off the cabintop. No issues with birds or anything. I apply spider spray under there periodically and that's been enough to keep spiders to a minimum.
Might sound ridiculous, but I have found that rubber snakes work-probably the only deterrent that would fit under the panel. Seagulls were using my upper deck as a dining table. I put a black rubber snake and a coral snake on the deck and the problem was solved. I wouldn't think a coral snake would work in the PNW, but I saw a seagull start to land and then radically veer off when it spotted the snake.
Forgot to add that I moved the snakes about once a week and changed the body position-coil, uncoil etc. learned that after watching pigeons sit on plastic owls.
I have a Europa as well. I would like to see a picture of your install to see if it would work for me.I have run solar on our 36 foot trawler for three years now, since first splash as our boat in 2022. Having enough solar wattage allows me to dock without having the added expenses of shore power. The real benefit for me is being on the hook for more than two weeks at a time and never having to run a genset at all. We have a medium size 12V fridge that runs off solar full time, and our two kilowatt inverter runs full time, mostly running house lights, TV's and computers. Of course, we're not able to run a coffee maker at the moment. (Our current coffee maker is a kettle boiling on our propane stove).
I do intend to add more power, as this year we experimented with a wind turbine, and found that its output is quite meager compared to a single solar panel on a cloudy day. Currently I have two 200 Watt panels, which are mounted to the rear of my Europa flybridge deck. I intend to add two more panels on the rear port and starboard rails, with a fold down mechanism. This summer, we were at a National Park dock one day, and ran into a Quebecker who had done the same thing. His novel clamping and fold up/down clamp was 3D printed. I thought that was kind of cool. I am also planning to add a third lithium battery to my house bank which currently runs lead-lithium. This is so we can have that much-desired electric coffee-maker running daily. It seems to work for us. At our current power needs. Anyway your mileage may vary depending on your power consumption needs.
I currently use a non permanent 300 watt panel in addition to 160 watts of fixed panel. The electrician wanted to install flexible panels on the FB covers roof, the marina trimmer who would fix the attachment points doubted the old but still serviceable FB covers top panel would cope. A s/s frame for panels was going to be around 3K. I went with the non permanent pending the FB cover needing replacement, when I`ll fit flexible panels. It`s a compromise, but definitely helps.
From experience I can tell you it is nice and quiet onboard when you have solar. As soon as the sun starts to become effective the panels will start charging the batteries and normally by noon I have them full again. That is the moment we start doing our heavy draw 'work' such as washing machine, water maker, dish washer, cooking etc. So by the time the sun sets in the evening the batteries are full and we only have the standard low draw on the batteries. Works like a charm.
Most things boating-related don't make financial sense. I installed a single panel on my much smaller boat and it's great. Rather than having a somewhat depleted bank at the end of a full day at anchor on a hot summer day, I now have a fully charged one. By the time I get up in the morning, It's already replenishing the overnight draw. All w/o turning on the genny or engine. I don't have it to save fuel. The life of the panel will likely exceed my boating life.
Can’t wait to hear how this works out for you. It was a total game changer for us.
I have a full Victron setup on my boat. Cerbo GX, Smartshunt, Multiplus, Victron MPPTs, etc. So all of the charging data gets compiled and presented by the Cerbo. Here's a screenshot of the current status from VRM as an example. Shows the MPPT status for each unit, total solar output, current battery status (both from the Smartshunt and what the BMS in the batteries is reporting), power consumption (both instant and hourly/daily totals), temperature sensor readings, etc.
I have a completely integrated system, so on my Cerbo, but also on the track plotter and on the phone I can see what the panels are delivering. However, the only thing I care about is that the batteries get charged and that what that state of charge is. I won't stare all day long at the Cerbo or at the phone to figure out how many watts have been 'harvested'.
How do you track the batteries and charging state on your plotter? That is intriguing.
Do you have a gen set on yours? We don't. But even without, we can sit 2 days, maybe 3 max and be fully charged in 3 hours or so of motoring. We just try to plan our longer stays so that they are followed by a longer transit to a new location. We did replace the 15 year old house bank 2 years ago. (had it done, as the 315 pound 820 amp hr batteries we beyond my limitations. Maybe when we sell, a new owner will add solar.
I have a 2024 38E with three 240 watt panels, 1000 amp hour agm batteries, typical 160 amp alternator and, no generator. I gave two air conditioners, one is a 16k btu that can run off the inverter, under certain conditions.
