By submitting this form, you are agreeing to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
A solar panel is fundamentally a battery charger that transforms solar energy into electrical energy(DC charge).Most marine solar systems comprise three major components i.e. solar panels, charge controller and batteries. To know more about Marine batteries, read our Marine Lithium battery market report
1. Maintenance charging for boats on anchoring/moorings
2. Supplementing engine-based charging during cruising
3. Sole-energy source in absence of on-board Diesel generator
Solar-power efficiency has undergone significant developments in recent years. Small boat owners often use solar panels as supplementary power generator which are also environment friendly with zero noise. There are three type of marine solar panels on sale today.
Efficiency of solar panels range from as low as 9-10%, for flexible panels, to about 16-18% for poly-crystalline panels, and 21-23% for mono-crystalline panels.
Crystalline panels degrade much slower than flexible/amorphous type and therefore produce energy for a longer period of time(20+ years), as compared to flexible/amorphous type which have shorter warranties (3-5 years).
The aluminum-framed solar panels are the least expensive, as they are manufactured via a modular construction process. The crystalline panels are highly specialized items made in small quantities, so they’re more expensive.