Power Generation

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Power Generation

Introduction ...

Contents 1 Power Generation 2 Engine Alternators 3 Generators (Gensets) 3.1 Diesel Gensets 3.2 Petrol Generators 4 Solar Panels 5 Wind Generators 6 Tow Generators 7 Charge Controllers 7.1 MPPT Controllers 7.2 PWM Controllers 8 Forum Discussions 9 References 10 External Links 10.1 Also See 11 Personal Notes 12 Contributors to this page 13 Cruising Wiki Navigation

Engine Alternators

Generators (Gensets)

Diesel Gensets

Petrol Generators

Solar Panels

Typically when we say "solar panel" on a boat we mean a photovoltaic module (PV module). A PV module is a packaged, connected assembly of solar cells in an array which can provide an output voltage (typically in the 12 - 24 volt range).

The main types of PV modules in use on boats include:

• Polycrystalline modules packaged under glass
• Monocrystalline modules packaged under glass
• Thin film modules on a steel or flexible substrate, without a glass coating

Wind Generators

Tow Generators

There are few manufacturers of dedicated tow generators (water turbines) around, which is a pity because a properly set up tow generator can produce a lot of power on a passage -- frequently more than a wind generator.

The main ones are:

• Aquair 100 by Ampair. This is a generator that can be rigged either way -- as a wind generator or as a tow generator. The unit can have a water turbine attached on a long line in tow generator mode, or can have a tail and blades added to operate as a wind turbine. The unit is rated at 100W which means around 8A at 12V. Delatbabel -- I successfully used one of these for 5000+ miles of sailing in the South Pacific, including deep in the southern ocean where there was little or no power coming in via the solar panels. I got a steady 4-6A out of it at cruising speed.
• Ferris Waterpower 200 from the USA is sold as a tow generator but can also be converted to a wind generator. This one claims to generate 200Ah per day which means approximately 8A at 12V, also approximately 100W.
• Eclectic Energy in the UK make 2 types of tow generator, one being the DuoGen 3 which is a convertible wind/water generator and the other being the Sail-Gen which uses the same components but is a dedicated tow generator.

Charge Controllers

MPPT Controllers

See MPPT on wikipedia.

PWM Controllers

Forum Discussions

List links to discussion threads on partnering forums. (see link for requirements)

• Solar Panels - Which Ones? on Cruiser Log.

References

Publications, etc.

External Links

• Solar panel
  • Solar cell
  • Polycrystalline silicon
  • Monocrystalline silicon
  • Thin film solar cell

Also See

• Boat Batteries

Personal Notes

• Delatbabel -- I have 4 solar panels aboard my boat:
  • 2 x flat 80W panels, "Lensun" brand, on top of the doghouse roof. I purchased these via eBay. These run in parallel into a 15A MPPT controller.
  • 1 x monocrystalline panel, 75W Kyocera, This runs in parallel with a wind generator and a tow generator and goes into a 15A MPPT controller.
  • 1 x polycrystalline panel, 200W Solraiser. This runs into a into a "Morningstar" brand PWM controller.

The panels generally give pretty good output. I'm impressed by the Lensun panels, I walk on these a lot because I need to get up on the doghouse roof to set and unset the main sail, and they still produce quite a lot of power. I'm less happy with the Solraiser panel, the peak output from it appears to be about 4A and it is a lower voltage panel (peak output at 12V compared to say 15V for some other panels) meaning that it's less easy to run its full output via an MPPT controller into a 12V system. 2 of these in series might have been a better option. IT seems to do much better running into a PWM controller but really only gets up to full power when the battery voltage is quite low.

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Contributors to this page
Names: Delatbabel

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