Marine Solar Systems
Solar energy on the whole has been making a comeback for quite some time although the significant cost still holds a lot of people at bay. There was this trend a few years ago of hybrid solar boats but they were inefficient and expensive to say the least. The newer option is to use photovoltaic panels on boats to supplement existing power sources and this has been largely successful.
The solar panels marine are attached to a battery that is constantly charging and providing power to marine solar lights as well as a range of appliances within the boat along with providing supplemental power to the engine when and if need be. The battery charges nonstop without heating up when the boat is stationary at the dock, when it is on a mooring, and when it sailing the high seas. These marine solar systems are so efficient in fact that they have eliminated the need for separate generators to be brought abroad.
The great thing about the marine solar systems is that they use a solar marine battery charger which regulates the flow of current to the battery unit. Furthermore it also keeps power from being wasted such as what happens when the current flows backwards. A battery backup can also be brought onboard to store the excess energy if sunlight is expected on a regular and potent basis. This can help power a lot of smaller appliances.
Marine solar power is no longer the complex science that it was once was. All you need to do is choose and buy the solar panels of your choice and attach them straight on the battery of the boat. The solar panels you invest in will depend on your budget and the power output you want.
It helps to make lists of appliances and devices you wish to run and what your electrical needs will be on every boat trip. Monocrystalline are among the most expensive solar panels out there and polycrystalline and amorphous are cheaper although have a bad reputation for generating less energy than their pricier counterpart. This way you are using the machinery of the boat which is already present instead of investing in a whole full-fledged system.
This is not to say that larger vessels cannot benefit a lot from solar panels attached to their surface either feeding the grid or generators or charging their own batteries. If larger solar panels with more expensive solar cells are used it is likely that enough energy can be generated to power the whole boat for a night.
Just like recreational vehicles, boats have a similar complaint that they are putting a strain on the main battery even when they are not in use. If the thermal power battery is replaced with a solar one it can keep charging and discharging via the controller and no waste occurs and the boat does not need to regularly be started up in order to prevent the battery from dying or getting discharged completely.