Sunpower 327 panels-are they available to us?

[offpist]

I ordered mine from ML Solar

[wgoodbye]

I just added a couple of Miasole Flex panels to my boat. They are flexible, light at 10lbs, 210 watts each and have a diode for every 2 cells which makes them more tolerant of shading. The price was pretty competitive. I connected my 2 panels to a Midnite Solar "Kid" Marine rated MPPT charge controller. I couldn't be happier with the setup.

[CarstenWL]

@offpist:

Do you have more pictures about the mounting you used?

Thanks!

Carsten

[offpist]

Originally Posted by CarstenWL

@offpist:

Do you have more pictures about the mounting you used?

Thanks!

Carsten

Here you go.

I am quite happy with the setup, as the panels can be adjusted.

Also planning to put some attachments so I can tie down and secure the panels if there is a huge storm coming. The big panels catches a lot of air up there.. but has hold up good so far.

[CarstenWL]

... great - thanks for sharing!

Carsten

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by offpist

Here you go.

I am quite happy with the setup, as the panels can be adjusted.

Also planning to put some attachments so I can tie down and secure the panels if there is a huge storm coming. The big panels catches a lot of air up there.. but has hold up good so far.

Is the Torqeedo for your dinghy? Your a "state of the art" kind of guy. How do you like the Torqeedo? Is it a 2.0 or 4.0?

[offpist]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Is the Torqeedo for your dinghy? Your a "state of the art" kind of guy. How do you like the Torqeedo? Is it a 2.0 or 4.0?

Yes, its the 4.0.
I like it a lot.. i have build a Lifepo4 battery for it using 115AH cells.

Gives me about 1 hour at full throttle (20km/h) , and almost 10 hours at 6 km/h.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KvG-csJMMEM

[deckofficer]

offpist, we have talked before on another thread. Does your HD bags hold 4 or 8 cells? If 4, I guess you have 4 bags. My Winston 100 ah LiFePO4 cells weigh around 7 1/2 pounds each, so my guess is your toting about 120 lbs in cells. 4 bags would be a manageable 30 lbs per bag.

I use mine in a kayak with its long efficient hull. At a rather sedate 4 mph, I'm good for 75 miles, the entire shoreline of Lake Tahoe.

Sure beats dealing with temperamental outboards with their noise and gas smell.

I use 50 amp Andersen connectors. Don't need them that big for discharge, but I charge at 50 amps for a quick lunch break turnaround.

[offpist]

Two bags, 8 cells in each bag.
They are heavy, (30+ kg each) but still easy to handle.
I prefer this, instead of 4 bags of batteries.

Sorry for the off topic.. now, back to Sunpower panels

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by offpist

Two bags, 8 cells in each bag.
They are heavy, (30+ kg each) but still easy to handle.
I prefer this, instead of 4 bags of batteries.

Sorry for the off topic.. now, back to Sunpower panels

I'm also sorry for the drift from topic, so I started another thread on electric dinghies. I have some more questions. Electric propulsion on dinghy - Cruisers & Sailing Forums

[D&D]

Originally Posted by Dsanduril

I second (and third) the use of the Sunpower panels. They are more efficient, have a lower heat coefficient, and more tolerant of shading, all of which come into play in the limited space we have on boats.

Unfortunately, Sunpower tries to keep a tight control on supply...

All true...unless you happen to live in Australia! Here we are blessed with a more enlightened view of the cruising community...and SunPower 327W panels (aka E20's) are readily available...through us!!

SunPower E20 327W Panel, Floating Impressions

The 2 x E20's on our beloved CatNirvana made a world of difference to our cruising enjoyment...

solar panel on CatNirvana lo-res (1).jpg Views: 584 Size: 212.0 KB ID: 104064" style="margin: 2px" />

That said, on each of the many installations we supplied since CatNirvana, we always suggest a different orientation for their panels (north-south, instead of east-west) to allow more panels...and one of our very clever 'crew' (customers) even managed to install 6 (!) E20's on their vessel; that's ~2kW of reliable, free power!!

So contact us to discuss SunPower efficiency on your vessel(s).

[Roy M]

All of this energy, contributed by CF denizens, led me to explore how PV panels are built, and why the Sunpower brand is different. It really appears clear, now to me why this one brand is in such acclaim. But, everyone needs to make their own opinion and conclusions. So, here's a history, in YouTube links, that makes things pretty clear.

For me, I am looking to do this install once, with as little "buyer's remorse" as I can avoid, and get enough power and dependability for the next ten or so years as possible (Sunpower offers a 25 year guarantee ). So, for your entertainment and bemusement, here's the selection of vids that I collected this morning:
How to build a panel yourself (shows how panels are actually built by hand)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4_WlfsOxhM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T76MGQpo--o

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOYLYIpNcoQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZqf-X3MlZ4

And then, there's Sunpower (now that you've seen how most panels are made):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdi-qmhCLgI

Then there's the Wikipedia blurb for background on the product and the inventor:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SunPower

[gspeak]

Originally Posted by D&D

All true...unless you happen to live in Australia! Here we are blessed with a more enlightened view of the cruising community...and SunPower 327W panels (aka E20's) are readily available...through us!!

SunPower E20 327W Panel, Floating Impressions

The 2 x E20's on our beloved CatNirvana made a world of difference to our cruising enjoyment...

Attachment 104064

That said, on each of the many installations we supplied since CatNirvana, we always suggest a different orientation for their panels (north-south, instead of east-west) to allow more panels...and one of our very clever 'crew' (customers) even managed to install 6 (!) E20's on their vessel; that's ~2kW of reliable, free power!!

So contact us to discuss SunPower efficiency on your vessel(s).

If you're in Far North Oz (Queensland). I bought my Sunpower 327w from NQ Solar in Cairns. Sarah (the owner ... I think) is a catamaran owner.

Dave


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[cll2]

Offpist, you mention you got yours from ML Solar? I don't see Sunpower listed on their web site, did you have to ask for them?

[offpist]

Originally Posted by cll2

Offpist, you mention you got yours from ML Solar? I don't see Sunpower listed on their web site, did you have to ask for them?

That is correct, you have to ask.
And they do not have on stock all the time..