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Solar Photovoltaic for Sailboats

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Noah's Dove

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Nov 27, 1997, 3:00:00 AM11/27/97

Keep batteries charged with high effeciency solar panels designed for boaters.
New flexible plastic sealed and waterproof panels that can be walked on
without fear of damage...with gromlets for mounting on mast or
rigging...perfect for sailboat owners that don't want to run their
motors....check Soltek's Solar Living catalogue ...web address below.

article:

PHOTOVOLTAICS: Electricity From Sunlight

Photovoltaics is a fancy word for the simple process of converting light
energy into electricity. And now, solar energy has become the prime power
choice of Off-Grid Home Owners, Cottage, Cabin, RV and Boat Owners. Why?,
because Solar Energy:

* Is free
* Very safe for the user
* Completely silent
* Reliable
* Consumes no fuel
* Requires almost no maintenance

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THE BASICS: Solar Systems and How They work

The foundation of any solar system is the solar module, more commonly
referred to as a solar panel. These flat collectors operate as electrical
generators, producing 12 volt DC power when exposed to sunlight. A typical
module for a weekend cabin is only four square feet in size and weighs less
than twelve pounds. Solar panels can be wired together in series to generate
higher voltages, or in parallel to increase charge current, or both
depending on the application.

Solar panels are usually mounted due south to take advantage of the
strongest sun during the middle of the day. On a home or cabin they are
typically mounted on the roof, as this is usually the most shade free area.
If roof top mounting is not practical, they can be placed on a free-standing
or pole mount structure.

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HOW YOU CAN USE SOLAR ENERGY

A solar panel exposed to the sun will convert roughly 12% of the energy it
sees into DC (Direct Current) electricity. With solar energy as the power
source, batteries then become the reservoir for this energy. From this
reservoir, lights, fans, water pumps and radios can be used day or night, or
even during periods of bad weather. A good quality, deep cycle battery
offers the most capacity and the longest life span in solar applications.
With a small inverter, which converts DC into 115VAC power, the solar system
can run vacuums, tools, even microwaves.

RV and Boat Owners can use solar energy to run small appliances and
lighting, and also to keep batteries in top condition when stored for the
winter.

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WHAT SIZE SYSTEM DO I NEED?

The major components of a solar system, the panels and batteries, are
modular, so a system can be sized to match any load simply by adjusting the
number of panels and batteries. This will allow you to power everything from
a few lights to a whole house.

The first step in sizing your system is to determine your total power
requirements. For example a typical load profile for an RV or cabin might
be:

2 lights x 1.0 amps x 4 hours = 8 Ahr/day
1 pump x 8.0 amps x 0.5 hours = 4 Ahr/day
1 TV x 3.0 amps x 2 hours = 6 Ahr/day
1 stereo x 0.25 amps x 8 hours = 2 Ahr/day

A single M-65 solar panel produces, on average, 12-15 Ahr/day in the summer
and 6-8 Ahr per day during the winter. If our example is a summer cabin,
then we divide the load by 12 Ahr to determine the number of panels.

Example: Number of Solar Panels Required
Divide: Total Daily Load: 20 Ahr/day
By: Panel Output: 12 Ahr/day
To Get: # of Panels Required: 2

If the cabin is only used on weekends, the load requirements would drop
significantly.

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