Solar power for narrowboat

hi
What would you recomend as a wind and solar system for our narrowboat? It will be for liveaboard, battery bank is 600amp, running lights and 12v fridge, 12v tv, dvd, and usual waterpump/shower emptying pump.
regards
bob

Hi Bob,

If you are running a fridge you need a fair area of solar panels to make a difference, even in the summer. I would recommend a minimum of 2 panels of around 60 watts or so. By far the neatest solutions are the adhesive backed 'peel and stick' Unisolar panels. You should probably go for the kit option which includes the most appropriate regulator - click on 'solar panel kits' in the shop menu.

The advantage of the adhesive-backed panels is that they are very low-profile and simple to install. However, because they are flat on the roof they won't be quite as efficient as a framed panel which can be tilted towards the sun. The Unisolar ES62 panels are a very good value alternative if you want to go for framed panels.

Wind power is useful in the winter when you get less from solar. Be aware though that the output from a wind turbine does depend very markedly on your location - if you are surrounded by trees or buildings the amount of power can be a bit disappointing! However, they can give very useful power in locations which are more exposed. Again, as you are running a fridge, which is quite power hungry, you would be looking at the larger of the models we supply, the Rutland 913. You would also need the HRS913 regulator to connect it into your batteries.