My initial purchase of what I thought at the time was a good Solar MPPT controller from China proved to be a false economy. While the controller worked, it did not perform as well as I expected.
So I bit the bullet and purchased an all singing and dancing MPPT controller. A bit more sophisticated, but easy to use. All of the configuration options are menu based with variable settings. This controller uses an external temperature sensor to prevent overcharge or over discharge of the battery system.
The inbuilt screen can be configured to show a number of parameters including, accumulated charge in Ampere Hours, The instantaneous charging current, The charging voltage. The unit has inbuilt protection systems including, overload, reverse polarity and High voltage surge protection.
The three solar panels are mounted flat on the boat roof and cannot be configured to point them directly towards the sun. I did them this way as an anti-theft measure. However, I have discovered that because the panels are mounted flat, standing water can build up on the surface. Occasional cleaning of accumulated dirt can make a small difference to the performance. I intend to make changes to the panel layout for next year. To centralise the panels on the boat roof and to leave more clearance for the centre line.
You have to adapt your lifestyle to get best performance from your electrical items. Choosing how and when you use an electrical item can help to reduce your battery consumption. For us Laptop and Mobile phone charging. Hair dryer and kitchen microwave (used via Inverter) are only operated when the engine is running and we are underway. All our hot water for showering is provided via the engine though we have a ALDI gas heating system if needed.
I have estimated our power consumption when moored at around 50 Ah per day.
Power Budget:
Fridge 25Ah per day. Shoreline
Lights 2Ah per day. LED
TV 9Ah per day. 12v
Pumps 2Ah per day. 12v
Inverter 12Ah per day.
This is a day to day recording taken over the last 21 days of the ampere hours supplied to the leisure battery pack by the solar panels. The panels are rated at a maximum power of 240 watts (18a @ 13.2v) watts. When the engine is running the solar panels do not provide any power to the leisure batteries. The boats 70amp alternator provides charge in this circumstance. No allowance has been made for this. I have provided a rough overview of the weather conditions before noon and after noon in the notes.
This is not at all scientific but any info is better than no information.
You have to adapt your lifestyle to get best performance from your electrical items. Choosing how and when you use an electrical item can help to reduce your battery consumption. For us Laptop and Mobile phone charging. Hair dryer and kitchen microwave (used via Inverter) are only operated when the engine is running and we are underway. All our hot water for showering is provided via the engine though we have a ALDI gas heating system if needed.
I have estimated our power consumption when moored at around 50 Ah per day.
Power Budget:
Fridge 25Ah per day. Shoreline
Lights 2Ah per day. LED
TV 9Ah per day. 12v
Pumps 2Ah per day. 12v
Inverter 12Ah per day.
This is a day to day recording taken over the last 21 days of the ampere hours supplied to the leisure battery pack by the solar panels. The panels are rated at a maximum power of 240 watts (18a @ 13.2v) watts. When the engine is running the solar panels do not provide any power to the leisure batteries. The boats 70amp alternator provides charge in this circumstance. No allowance has been made for this. I have provided a rough overview of the weather conditions before noon and after noon in the notes.
This is not at all scientific but any info is better than no information.
Day Date Ah Notes.
Fri 25th of May 2012 0010/10 Overcast
Sat 26th of May 2012 0042/32 Bright Sunshine
Sun 27th of May 2012 0082/40 Bright Sunshine
Mon 28th of May 2012 0119/37 Bright Sunshine
Tue 29th of May 2012 0157/36 Bright Sun, Overcast.
Wed 30th of May 2012 0170/13 Overcast, heavy showers.
Thu 31st of May 2012 0186/16 Overcast, showers.
Average 26.5 Ah per day High 40 Low 10
Day Date Ah Notes.
Fri 1st of June 2012 0199/13 Overcast.
Sat 2nd of June 2012 0211/12 Light rain, Overcast.
Sun 3rd of June 2012 0217/06 Heavy rain, Overcast.
Mon 4th of June 2012 0225/08 Overcast, Showers.
Tue 5th of June 2012 0247/22 Sunshine, Showers.
Wed 6th of June 2012 0266/19 Sunshine, Showers.
Thu 7th of June 2012 0273/07 Overcast, very heavy rain.
Average 10.5 Ah per day High 22 Low 06
Fri 8th of June 2012 0294/21 Overcast, Showers.
Sat 9th of June 2012 0302/08 Overcast, Heavy showers.
Sun 10th of June 2012 0331/29 Sunshine, Overcast
Mon 11th of June 2012 0358/27 Overcast, Showers.
Tue 12th of June 2012 0374/18 Overcast, Some Sun.
Wed 13th of June 2012 0393/19 Overcast, Some Sun.
Thu 14th of June 2012 0399/06 Disconnected, Some Sun
Average 15.0 Ah per day High 29 Low 06
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