Solar panels

Power is an important thing to consider in anyone’s abode, but being on a boat brings additional issues.

When we are at marinas, we can plug into shore power, but when at sea or at anchor we need to be self sufficient.

When on a boat, power consumption needs to be considered very carefully. There is not an unlimited supply, so decisions need to be made about which electrical items are needed, how much power they will use and where that power will come from.

On Escapade, we have 8 batteries (very like car batteries) which are used to store power made, but they will drain and must be topped up. We can do this by running the engine and we also have a generator. However, both of these use diesel (and are very noisy), so alternative forms of energies need to be considered.

To generate wind power, we would need a turbine to be fitted. Usually, this is high up on a pole at the back of the boat. You may think that this would be ideal when sailing, but it is actually reliant on the wind being from the right direction. For our journey around the world, most of our sailing will be downwind. This means that we will be travelling in the same direction as the wind and therefore the actual wind speed will seem less. Turbines can also be very noisy due to the sound generated as the blades rotate.

Water power, again requires a turbine. This is fitted at the back of the boat and trails in to sea. The water flow turns the propellor and generates power. Again, a great idea for a boat, but feedback says that the pitch of the blades needs to be changed depending on the speed of the boat through the water. As boats do not travel at a consistent speed, this could be a very regular task!

For us, the option was solar.

Deciding what to buy and where to put them needed more research and also a power survey to check consumption.

Eventually, we decided on four flexible panels (two 100 watts and two 50 watts) which could be put on the Bimini and two solid panels (two 100watts) in a specially designed framework on the davits.

We purchased the flexible panels from Barden and the solid ones from Merlin (see Still Spending! 30/10/2019)

The Bimini needed modifying in order to install the panels. This was done by Elite Yacht Covers and a brilliant job they did too. The clever design included tailor made velcro flaps for each panel, smart covers for wires and connectors and adaptations to enable support struts to be put under the panels.

Excellent job….thanks Paul and Joe!

The framework for the solid panels is being constructed by Fox’s Marina Boatyard. Due to the lock down, this is delayed, so installation will have to wait.