Solar and Wind Charging Equipment List

[SV Demeter]

I am in the design phase of my live aboard energy system and want to start aquiring the equipment as the dollars become available. Boat will have an 800ah battery bank. Most likely flooded batteries although I would prefer AGMs I dont think the charging regime I will have would be good for them. The plan is for (4) 135 watt panels and a wind generator. Im thinking the things I will need to buy excepting wire and deck glands looks like:

(4) 135 Watt panels- leaning towards Kyoceras. Wired in series or Parrallel? Was thinking series to keep wire size down?

Mounts for the panels- I have a great metal fab guy who will help me get them mounted bat wing style on folding mounts. My Amphitrite Ketch has a lot of tumble home in the stern so the panels will go along the stern rails on each side on mounts that can be angled up or down. When down because of tumble home they should stay well clear of any docking incidents.

Charge Controller- I know I need an MPPT controller but am not sure which one or whether 2 smaller controllers would be better. Leaning towards an Outback Flexmax 60.

Wind Genny- Thinking Airbreeze or possibly air-x with modified (quiet) blades. It will go on the mizzen as far up as possible. I also want to be able to dump excess wind energy to the hot water heater with a 120/12volt element. These genny's dont need an external regulator?

Battery Monitor- Right now have a Link 2000R with the 200R Alt regualtor but I dont really like or trust it. Bought a Balmar 614 regulator for when the Link regulator fails. Will get a replacement battery monitor for when the Link2000R pisses me off enough. Victron monitor?

Thanks to all.

[rebel heart]

Here's some links to what I put together, and you might be able to get some design ideas based on the same approach I think you're looking for in regards to winging out your panels from the stern.

Rebel Heart - Sailing, cruising, liveaboard blog and website - Eric's Blog - finally mounted the solar*panels

[SV Demeter]

Thanks! Im thinking the panels will go lengthwise. Heres a photo of the boat. You can see the long stern rail. Also( not as visible) is the tumble home which should afford some protection to the panels.

[rebel heart]

Another plus is your aft portholes will get some shade from the panels sometimes, depending on sun angles and the such.

[Jon Hacking]

I like your selection of gear. You've obviously thought about this a bit. FWIW, I've posted a fairly long page on Solar Systems in our Cruising Information section that you might want to check out. I've put in some empirical numbers on things like how much power you'll actually put into your batteries from your solar system, as well as various design considerations. Hope it helps!

[Bash]

Originally Posted by SV Escape Plan

Wind Genny- Thinking Airbreeze or possibly air-x with modified (quiet) blades. It will go on the mizzen as far up as possible. I also want to be able to dump excess wind energy to the hot water heater with a 120/12volt element. These genny's dont need an external regulator?

No, the Airbreeze does not need an external regulator. It shuts itself down when it senses a certain voltage, which you can regulate manually. With 540 watts of solar, your wind generator should spend a great deal of time in shut-down mode. The manufacturer specifically warns against wiring it into your solar controller, because if that shuts off an Airbreeze, it will put it into free-wheel mode. Not good for the equipment.

With as much power as you'll be generating, I'm doubtful that you'll need as big a battery bank as you're planning. I do fine with a 420 AH bank, and that's with an Airbreeze plus two 130-watt panels. Are you certain you need that much?

[gettinthere]

a bigger battery bank is easier to charge. You really only have about 30% of the bank's rating as USABLE capacity. So the info left out here is what the expected daily power use will be...

You shouldn't run a battery down below 50%
And it is slow going to top up the last 20%, the high acceptance rate is slowed down when the battery reaches around 80%.

So you typically take the battery down to 50% and then up to 80%. Even if you have plenty of charging source, you'd still be limited to the 50%.

Taking a battery bank below 50% quickens the demise of the battery.

So a 400 amp battery bank has a USABLE capacity of less than 150 amp/hours.

If you are confident that you will have plenty of power generation or your needs are small, that may be just fine. But if you see many calm, cloudy days, you'll be pushing your battery bank.

According to many longevity tests, the less the batteries are stressed, the longer they last.

[Bash]

Originally Posted by gettinthere

So a 400 amp battery bank has a USABLE capacity of less than 150 amp/hours.

I get that part. I really really do. But the point is, that even with half the solar capacity as the OP is planning, I never get that low. I can go weeks and weeks and weeks and weeks and never be lower than 100 AH down.

So what's the point of having an 800 AH house bank with that big a charging system? Economic stimulus for the battery manufacturers?

[trapper1]

Stay away from Airbreeze,I have had nothing but problems, been replaced twice in a year.
regards Tom

[gettinthere]

trap

could you elaborate on your issues with your airbreeze?

thanks

G

[SV Demeter]

Thanks for all the replies folks. My battery box is well suited for (8) 6volt batteries and I will be living aboard with the wife and two kids which under poor weather conditions (rainy day sitting at anchor) can run up the amp hour meter. At the same time that the solar array will likely not be doing a lot. My addition of a wind genny is the last leg of the project and I have not decided 100% on getting one yet. The mian reason was that there are often rainy days where the solar wont be putting out much and this weather often brings with it breeze which is when the wind genny would hopefully help us buy more time and not have to start the engine. I am also considering a Honda 2000 but really dont want to if I can avoid it. Carbon footprint and all... Given the budget what will likely happen first is the solar panels and charge controller. I currently have a 200 amp hour bank but plan to add the remianing batteries with the panels when we are close to taking off. Then we will see how it goes and if I can afford it we'll add the wind genny.

[trapper1]

Hi,
I had the first one on the pole for about 3 months,when it started to cut in and out, not generating any power. It made a hell of a rattle sound.
I contacted the supplier here in Australia, who said he wouldnt touch them again,but he put me on to Airbreeze in SanFrancisco,many emails later I got a reply from the "Boss" of Airbreeze, asking me to send it over there as there was no longer a repair place here. I asked who was going to pay for the freight,his reply, "you". Many more emails and phone calls later they finally came the party and found a repair place in Melbourne, 2K away from me, who would repair it. I wanted a new one, as mine wasnt very old. Cost me $A85 to freight it,(when I took it down the blades fell to bits,white ones) . They couldnt repair it but found me a new one,with Black blades.Found out by a past employee they had just over 300 in for repair at that time.After a lot of pressure I got my refund from America.
Still not happy with the new one, had complaints from yachties about the high pitched noise.
never again, when this one gives up the Ghost it goes down to Davy Jones's Locker
Regards

[trapper1]

Hi again, If you look up www.pwt.net.au/windturbines.htm it say's it all
Good Luck

[cfarrar]

SV Escape Plan,

There are a couple of recent threads about solar panels, controllers, and series vs. parallel. It looks like one or two of your panels could be partially shaded by your mizzen, mizzen boom, or stack pack, so parallel wiring should probably be part of your gameplan.

For comparison sake, we've got a family of four, and we consume about 75-80 amp/hr a day. We do fine with a 420 amp/hr battery bank. Our 216 watts of solar is nearly enough... I wish we had 2x135 watt panels.

[senormechanico]

With the WG mounted so far from the loads (batteries and water tank element) using the extra from the wind generator to heat water would work in theory, but with a dump load such as a heating element, the internal regulator is going to waste a fair amount of available power due to loss in the wiring. If the WG regulator is used, it senses voltage at the WG, not the batteries or other load. Thus, when the regulation point is hit and it switches to the heating element, the voltage at the element will be lower due to the higher load of the element vs. lower load of the charged batteries.

Better to have a regulator sensing voltage near the load.

I've done that with my house (an actual House) bank for backup power system being charged from the Air 403 WG on my dock piling. The regulator is in the battery bank compartment along with the transfer switch, inverter etc. The WG regulator has been effectively disabled by setting it to the highest possible voltage setting.