|
Electrical stuff |
||
|
I bought a 56 watt Solara solar panel for my boat. They're quite pricey but they're semi-flexible and very rugged. You can walk on the panel if you want and to mount it you either screw it down or glue it or both. Check out their web site if you want to see more specifics. One thing they don't tell you on the website is that the panel can only flex in one direction. On mine the long dimension is the axis on which it can flex. Solara gives a 15% discount for first time buyers and there's a wide array of sizes to choose from. So far it's working great on my boat even though it's partially shaded in the late afternoon by the boom when the boat is at the dock. We'll see how it performs once the days are shorter and the sky is more full of clouds. The panel is hooked up to a regulator and the regulator is hooked up to two group 27 absorbed glass mat (AGM) batteries. The regulator prevents the batteries from being overcharged and it also contains a blocking diode so the panel doesn't suck juice from the battery at night. The AGM batteries can be installed in any orientation and never need to be filled or opened (they can't be opened actually). I squeezed them into the space under my cockpit where the gas tank used to be. They both sit at a 20 degree angle leaning in towards each other. |
|