Stumbled across your channel today. I've been struggling to make our wind generator work with the solar. Something never seemed right. Your explanation makes sense to me now. Thanks for the video.
Loved the section of the video where you discuss Wattage used by different items. Great demonstration; first time I've seen someone explain it like this. Well done.
Hey I listened to your other video on the electric charger conversion and you brought up a good point on the last video about the partial shading destroying your output. If you guys see this message you really need to get amorphous solar panels or cigs panels! That's because they aren't so susceptible to partial shading like regular wafer cells. Also, they are super flexible and can be mounted practically anywhere you should really get them next time you update your solar
Hi Nick, great video as usual, hope your eye is on the mend. I’m installing a 40 amp DC to DC battery charger in our RV. If you ditch the genset you might want to add two of these. I actually did a spreadsheet on how this triples the alternator output. Drop me a note if you want to nerd out on it. Stay safe. Mark
Nick/Megan, just curious about your A/C usage. Do you have the capability of running it in different "zones," like say, only in the salon, or only in one or more of the staterooms, or some combination thereof? You barely mention it in your videos: are you acclimated to the tropics and don't feel the need to use it, or use it sparingly because it uses so much power? As an aside, any idea if it's feasible to convert to electric motors? Any interest in doing that? Thanks.
Perhaps you had this on another video that I can’t recall, but do you just have one bank or do you have separate batteries for starting your engines? How do LiFeP04 react to cranking an engine?
Hey Nick, great vid. Couple of suggestions from someone going the same route. First of all, well done! Get some portable electrical cocking appliances (induction stove, pressure cooking) so you will use a lot less propane. (And heat the cabin a lot less on the process). Change the resistance on the boiler to something like 1000-1500w, so you can heat water when you have extra power from the sun (mine is 700w and I built a controller to turn it on everyday, four around an hour, IF the batteries are full and the solar is capable to sustain it.) Money permitting, I would use the space of the generator for more batteries. So if you want the Air con for longer now and then, you have the option. High output alternator would be a welcome addition (look at sailing impi setup) for the raining weeks... (I have a Honda 20i for that situation)
Good video....thank you. I am curious how you are running the power from the engine alternator to the lithium batteries. I have heard that can be a problem. What controller are you using?
This is a simple, reliable system, and as always, a great review. Thanks. How are you making hot water? I keep thinking that in sunny weather a flat hot water solar collector makes sense. In colder area I like the idea of a hot water heat pump, but I have not seen one for marine applications. I saw a few months ago a video from a company called Superwind. They claimed that their wind generator used to make around 20 dB, and they had managed to get this down to 10 dB. I figure you have between 2.0-kWh to 2.5-kWh of solar. In sunny areas, this might make an average of (uncertainty due to shading could be a bit more or less +-2-kWh) 10-kWh per day. This should keep your batteries full each day if you use this only for house loads (without counting the hot water). Are you leaving 30% each day in the batteries? If you do, this might increase the number of cycles you can get out of the batteries, but it might require some additional batteries. This might lower your cost per kWh on the long run.
Can you go into more about the voltage of your panels? 12/24/48? some in series AND parallel? how much battery capacity do you carry? Also, next video please, on WEATHER. you touched on it a little on your trip from Miami last week, but I'd like more info in depth like you did on the keel repair.
Would it be better to mount the flexible panels on the bracket off the back of the boat and the rigid panels on the roof deck? Better airflow for the flexible panels and better weight distribution. I would also feel better standing on the rigid panels than on flexible panels mounted on plastic corrugated panels. I was also thinking a semi see-through bifacial solar pannels for the helm station bimini will allow you to see the sails.
So your battery bank system is a 12 volt system. If sounds like your sending 36 volts to one charge controller and 24 to another and you didn't specify how the 1,200 watts of panels on the back are wired. I've only heard good things about Victron stuff. Did you consider using a 24 or 48 volt system? I've heard that its generally easier to wire higher voltages, but harder to find inverters and appliances that run on DC 24 or 48 volt. If you dump the genset, you normally replace that with more batteries.
Thank you, good luck with your installation. Sunglasses? Well it was so bright out we had to wear them. Nick does need a new pair, these were a gift from some cruisers since he lost his good ones.
Awesome to have 20 amps of power. Have you ever run across anybody with more solar production than you have? What would it take to run air conditioning in real time with no batteries and still have extra power for everything else?
I would not run your batteries up to 100%. If you do 90% with your lithium you will double the number of cycles(days) your batteries will last. Also I do a water heater dual voltage element as a dump load when my batteries hit 89%...which for me top voltage is 90%. So as my battery voltage hits 89% a device that watches the voltages and has a relay turns on a 12 volt temperature controller. This temperature controller looks at the water heater and determines if it needs to turn on the contactor which energizes the water heating element. All the parts cost less than $100 off of eb ay including the wiring. So when my batteries hit their top voltage(90%) the energy starts going to water heating.
Stumbled across your channel today. I've been struggling to make our wind generator work with the solar. Something never seemed right. Your explanation makes sense to me now. Thanks for the video.
Great content for future cruisers!
Thank you!
Thank you for the video. Informative and entertaining. You took a complicated topic and made it understandable. Well done.
Loved the section of the video where you discuss Wattage used by different items. Great demonstration; first time I've seen someone explain it like this. Well done.
Thank you for the video! Just what we needed before we start installing ours shortly.
Hey I listened to your other video on the electric charger conversion and you brought up a good point on the last video about the partial shading destroying your output. If you guys see this message you really need to get amorphous solar panels or cigs panels! That's because they aren't so susceptible to partial shading like regular wafer cells. Also, they are super flexible and can be mounted practically anywhere you should really get them next time you update your solar
Hi Nick, great video as usual, hope your eye is on the mend. I’m installing a 40 amp DC to DC battery charger in our RV. If you ditch the genset you might want to add two of these. I actually did a spreadsheet on how this triples the alternator output. Drop me a note if you want to nerd out on it. Stay safe. Mark
Great video, it helps to reaffirm the tons of research that I've done. Great to see that this setup is working well for you.
Great to hear!
Nick/Megan, just curious about your A/C usage. Do you have the capability of running it in different "zones," like say, only in the salon, or only in one or more of the staterooms, or some combination thereof? You barely mention it in your videos: are you acclimated to the tropics and don't feel the need to use it, or use it sparingly because it uses so much power? As an aside, any idea if it's feasible to convert to electric motors? Any interest in doing that? Thanks.
Perhaps you had this on another video that I can’t recall, but do you just have one bank or do you have separate batteries for starting your engines? How do LiFeP04 react to cranking an engine?
Hey Nick, great vid. Couple of suggestions from someone going the same route.
First of all, well done!
Get some portable electrical cocking appliances (induction stove, pressure cooking) so you will use a lot less propane. (And heat the cabin a lot less on the process).
Change the resistance on the boiler to something like 1000-1500w, so you can heat water when you have extra power from the sun (mine is 700w and I built a controller to turn it on everyday, four around an hour, IF the batteries are full and the solar is capable to sustain it.)
Money permitting, I would use the space of the generator for more batteries. So if you want the Air con for longer now and then, you have the option. High output alternator would be a welcome addition (look at sailing impi setup) for the raining weeks... (I have a Honda 20i for that situation)
Good video....thank you. I am curious how you are running the power from the engine alternator to the lithium batteries. I have heard that can be a problem. What controller are you using?
This is a simple, reliable system, and as always, a great review. Thanks.
How are you making hot water? I keep thinking that in sunny weather a flat hot water solar collector makes sense. In colder area I like the idea of a hot water heat pump, but I have not seen one for marine applications.
I saw a few months ago a video from a company called Superwind. They claimed that their wind generator used to make around 20 dB, and they had managed to get this down to 10 dB.
I figure you have between 2.0-kWh to 2.5-kWh of solar. In sunny areas, this might make an average of (uncertainty due to shading could be a bit more or less +-2-kWh) 10-kWh per day. This should keep your batteries full each day if you use this only for house loads (without counting the hot water).
Are you leaving 30% each day in the batteries? If you do, this might increase the number of cycles you can get out of the batteries, but it might require some additional batteries. This might lower your cost per kWh on the long run.
Have you found a home for your generator?
Dumb question, but are you able to walk on the flex panels with the corrugated sheet underneath? Thnx. Always enjoying your content.
I was just going to asked that too.
Can you go into more about the voltage of your panels? 12/24/48? some in series AND parallel? how much battery capacity do you carry? Also, next video please, on WEATHER. you touched on it a little on your trip from Miami last week, but I'd like more info in depth like you did on the keel repair.
Multiple charge controllers is the thing I see most people get wrong, a lot don’t seem to understand how big the impact from partial shading is.
I'm pretty sure he knows a little about shading... He is a Meteorologist! ;)
Would it be better to mount the flexible panels on the bracket off the back of the boat and the rigid panels on the roof deck? Better airflow for the flexible panels and better weight distribution. I would also feel better standing on the rigid panels than on flexible panels mounted on plastic corrugated panels. I was also thinking a semi see-through bifacial solar pannels for the helm station bimini will allow you to see the sails.
Hi guys.
How are the flexible solar panels preforming?
So your battery bank system is a 12 volt system. If sounds like your sending 36 volts to one charge controller and 24 to another and you didn't specify how the 1,200 watts of panels on the back are wired. I've only heard good things about Victron stuff. Did you consider using a 24 or 48 volt system? I've heard that its generally easier to wire higher voltages, but harder to find inverters and appliances that run on DC 24 or 48 volt. If you dump the genset, you normally replace that with more batteries.
So why not run all the panels in parallel? Seems like series wiring is just too problematic for a yacht applicator with all the shading moving around.
great video! I'm installing solar into my custom van soon(hopefully), this is really helpful! What's with the sunglasses though?
Thank you, good luck with your installation. Sunglasses? Well it was so bright out we had to wear them. Nick does need a new pair, these were a gift from some cruisers since he lost his good ones.
Awesome to have 20 amps of power. Have you ever run across anybody with more solar production than you have? What would it take to run air conditioning in real time with no batteries and still have extra power for everything else?
someone may have asked already but your stern array, series or parallel ?
Great gouge!
So you have about 10kw of lithium. Who is the manufacturer?
2400 watts is awesome. So it looks like 900 ah lithium is all you need then. Looking forward to those lithium prices coming down.
Yeah you can get 12v 300ah worth of lifepo4 off of Alibaba for close to 400 bucks! That's a little more than 100 bucks a kwh finally affordable!
Nice sunglasses, Nick.
"O'Kelly's Solar System" - YAY for astrophysics! 😜
I would not run your batteries up to 100%. If you do 90% with your lithium you will double the number of cycles(days) your batteries will last. Also I do a water heater dual voltage element as a dump load when my batteries hit 89%...which for me top voltage is 90%. So as my battery voltage hits 89% a device that watches the voltages and has a relay turns on a 12 volt temperature controller. This temperature controller looks at the water heater and determines if it needs to turn on the contactor which energizes the water heating element. All the parts cost less than $100 off of eb ay including the wiring. So when my batteries hit their top voltage(90%) the energy starts going to water heating.
That’s amazing, good info thank you!
that was the payoff I was waiting for at the end. no more generator. well done.
Genless....woot! Many boats can do with a much lower wattage and be independent from a genset.
Meoooooowwwwwwwwwwwwww 🐈
😂😇😍
E=I/R