How to Get Solar Panels on Your Boat

The idea of putting solar panels on your boat may seem like an odd one. After all, it’s not like a boat is like a light. You aren’t powering it all day long, it’s not connected to your wall, and even if the power runs out on your boat, you’ll still be able to use it. However, it turns out that with the increase in solar panels, a lot of people are adding solar panels to their boats. In California, especially, more and more people are finding how useful solar panels are on their boats. Read this blog to learn why you might want to consider adding panels to your own boat and how to go about it.

Why are people adding solar to their boats?

Silly as it may sound, solar would actually be very useful for your boat, especially in an emergency situation. Yes, it’s true that your boat will still work even if it runs out of power, but imagine being lost out at sea with nothing powered on. Something as simple as one light bulb to help you see in the dark during an intense storm would probably make all the difference if you found yourself in that situation. And things like mini fridges might mean the difference between life and death if you find yourself lost in the middle of the ocean.

How do I add solar to my boat?

So, you find yourself realizing how much solar could improve your boat, but you have no idea where to begin. Well, there are two main ways to add solar to your boat.

One way is by adding solar panels that are connected to the batteries of your ship. These batteries will charge up everything on your ship and keep you running smoothly in even the harshest situations. Keep your lights on, your fridge cool, and your phone charged so that even if you end up in an awful storm, you’ll have ways to get home without suffering for too long. Unlike powering your entire home, you’ll need far fewer panels to keep a boat charged, and there’s no reason not to bring solar to your boat.

Another way to power your boat is an extremely new way, and that’s by powering your sails with solar. Using solar charged batteries, you can hook them up to wired sails and bring the art of sail boating to solar without having to use fossil fuels.

Whether you’re using a power boat to kick up your feet with your phone and a beer, or you’re an experienced sailor wanting to travel the world with your solar sails, there’s a solar powered option for you.

How do I design my solar powered boat?

After choosing how you want to add solar to your boat, your next step will be designing it to get the most efficiency possible. First thing’s first, you’ll need to figure out exactly how much energy you’ll need. Find out exactly how much energy your boat uses on a daily outing to figure out how many panels and how much battery storage space you’ll need to keep your boat powered.

Then, make sure you have ample space on your boat to accommodate your panels. If you have enough space for the average panels, you’ll probably want to do that, especially with the help of a mounting system. But you might also want to consider flexible panels, which will help you place the panels around the curves of your boat and avoid the issue of not having proper roof space.

Finally, you’ll want to make sure your panels aren’t covered in shade. Boat owners face a lot more challenges than home owners when it comes to avoiding the shade. Because of all the parts of your boat, and the fact that the sun will move throughout the day, it’s extremely difficult to avoid all shade. You might consider taking your boat out all day before installing solar and mark all the areas where shadows are with tape so that you can perfectly place solar panels on your boat.

Want to learn more about bringing solar energy into your lifestyle? Check out the HahaSmart blog for daily updates!

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