your opinion - PVs on your boat

[PV boat]

d Dear boat owners/users, I am doing a research on the development of markets of solar (PV) boats. I would appreciate very much to know your opinion on using electricity from PV cells on boat. This is a link to my questionnaire http://www.questionpro.com/akira/TakeSurvey?id=459150. Thank you very much in advance for your interest!
I am going to publish the results form this survey on http://sunergy.thrijswijk.nl/solarboat/. This link also contains a shot overview on possible use of PVs in boat. Please have a look.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: your opinion - PVs on your boat

i personally did not find your survey , effective for the average US boater. so i did not finish it.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: your opinion - PVs on your boat

I see very few applications for solar power on boats. 1) sail boats. 2) Small boats (such as small pontoons) used on smaller electric-only lakes. 3) As a way to keep house and start batteries topped off (not recharged) on docked boats where AC is not available. For other purposes, most boats don't have enough surface area to accommodate a panel(s) large enough to provide a useful amount of solar power.

 

[Texasmark]

Re: your opinion - PVs on your boat

Totally agree with silvertip. Just take a remotely located fence charger that is only supposed to keep the battery topped off......like milliamperes of current. The thing is huge considering what you are getting out of it. And those homes that have them have the whole roof covered with them to get any kind of reasonable power.....and the cost :%

Good luck on your paper.

Mark

 

[biggy boy]

Re: your opinion - PVs on your boat

Just did that survey
WOW their use of English was interesting.

Anyway what is PV?:%

It wasn't effective for the average Canadian boater ether!

Glen

 

[roscoe]

Re: your opinion - PVs on your boat

PV - photovoltaic - solar cells

 

[wbeaton]

Re: your opinion - PVs on your boat

I use a solar (PV) panel to maintain the charge on my 12V batteries. They have their place. A good 30W panel (approx 20"x20" or so) will output about 1.5A at full sun. On a nice summer day that could produce 10-15AH or so. Not bad for a small panel considering a normal deep cycle battery is rated around 75-100AH.

During the winter I connect a 5W panel to both my batteries (210AH total) and its enough to maintain a full charge on both.