On 18 Nov 2003 23:53:38 -0800, (Edwin Antonius
van Gorp) wrote:

Since I'm new to the field of solar energy I've got a few questions:

We have a boat which is propulsed by an electric outboard. Of course
after a few hours the battery starts getting flat.
The idea is to mount some solar panels on the boat, but I have no idea
how many or what equipment to use.

My questions a

-- How many and which solar panels do I use?
-- What kind of a battery charger do I need?
-- What other equipment do I need?

The motor is a 12 V Motorguide outboard

Looking forward to seeing some answers.

Thanks

Eddy
South of Spai
Without knowing anything about the motor, how you use it, where you
live, etc, it's not posible to give a definitive answer. If you'e
looking for something that will give you the ability to use the motor
continuously, it's probably not possible, but let's do the math.

Let's assume the battery is 100 amp hours, for simplicity's sake.
Let's also assume that "flat" means 50% discharged and we can say
you've used something like 50 amp hours. To replace 50 amp hours in a
typical full *day* of sunshine in the southern half of the US, I'd
probably want 150-200 watts of solar panels. Go on the web and search
for solar power companies like www.solar-electric.com or manufacturers
like Kyocera or Siemens (now Shell Solar, I think) and check out the
size and weight (and cost!) of 200 watts worth of panels. I think
you'll be impressed.

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