Solar Panels

This page last updated 29th July 2009

SOLAR PANEL

After 20 years of truthful, reliable, unselfish, through Winter, Summer, lonely days and lonely nights, my beloved solar panel decided it is time to move on. L It is standing here in my office and will have to make up my mind soon whether to go the cremation or the traditional way, because if my wife discovers it, it will go straight into the refuse bin. You can’t just throw something away that was so close to you for many years or can you? Sad, sad, sad L

Where was I, oh yes I was trying to tell you about my new solar panel I bought. (Sniff, sniff)

She, or it, I don’t know but a boat is an it or a she, can a solar panel on a boat also be a she? I believe Lloyds International are referring in their contracts to boats as an "it" and not "she" anymore. Can this be true?

Ok, let’s try again. The old solar panel was a 11w, 12v, 230mm x 51mm, which was on my boat when I bought it. The previous owner installed it on PeeDeeQ round about 1989/90 and paid roughly a R1000.00 for it then. At an average inflation rate of 10% it should cost R6116.00 to replace it now, quite expensive I would reckon.

I was referred to a chandler in Milnerton but they only stock larger panels, the smallest they have is 1200mmx600mm (not 100% sure of the size) for ± R5000.00. Too much for me at this stage, though if this was the only option I would have started to rationalise over the price and then most probably would have robbed “Pete to pay Paul” to get me one.

I was also referred to a solar panel manufacturer in Wetton/Ottery and they said that they happen to, at this time have a special on the size I want. Their normal price is ± R30 per watt and they were selling these smaller panels for R20 per watt what a luck! I went there looked at the panels and took a few pictures and after a lot of discussions between Ernie “Mini Me” and Bernard “Nina” it was decided that I will have to get a regulator as well to protect the battery against over charging. The hunt for the regulator then begun and I sourced one in Eppingdust.

Here are the detail:

Solar panel:

Power: 20v x 40watts – 2.33 amps

Size: 520mm X 640mm

Weight: 3kg

Price: R912.00 incl. Vat