Rich Stern
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Wanted to post this for those of you who might be faced with charging trolling batteries in a remote location with no access to utility power.
In the last few months, I've been researching adding solar to our cabin as a backup power source, and have been surprised by how much the prices on panels and related equipment have been dropping (it's all those government loans!). I decided to try an experiment to see if I could recharge a trolling battery by equipment that could easily be mounted on my dock.
Now, keep in mind: I am not a tournament angler. I have a 12v minnkota Powerdrive with a single group 27 Interstate deep cycle on my boat. Maybe 100 amp-hours. Most of our fishing outings are 3 hour jaunts on weekends or summer vacation days. Our trolling battery doesn't get pressed very hard. The requirements for a two or three battery setup, and/or a battery that gets used hard on multiple days will obviously be more intense.
I took a group 24, 85 amp-hour deep cycle batter, fully charged, and drained about 18 amps from it via an ammeter, inverter and a 75 watt light bulb. Then, I put the battery on a solar charge controller and a 40 watt panel. Because I am testing this at my home, I only have full sunlight without any tree interference for about 6 hours a day. In full sun, this setup was charging the battery at 2.7 amps per hour. If it was very hazy or partial cloud cover, the rate dropped back to 1 to 1.5 amps. The battery was full charged after about 9 hours of sun exposured. Pretty decent for my casual purposes.
Some things to keep in mind:
- This is in Georgia, where even in April, the sun pretty much parks itself overhead all afternoon. Ideal for solar.
- This is a modestly sized panel (about 2ft square, weighs about 10 pounds). Easily small enough to lay on the deck of a boat or nearby surface. 80 watt and 120 watt panels are proportionately bigger, but still quite portable. A 120 watt panel would give close to 10 amps per hour of charge. There are also panels and chargers that support 24v and 36v charging.
Obviously, this isn't ideal for everyone, but the panels are getting more potent for less money. About $1.25/watt in these sizes, and the charge controllers are under $50.
Just an FYI for anyone who might have a use for solar with their boat charging.
In the last few months, I've been researching adding solar to our cabin as a backup power source, and have been surprised by how much the prices on panels and related equipment have been dropping (it's all those government loans!). I decided to try an experiment to see if I could recharge a trolling battery by equipment that could easily be mounted on my dock.
Now, keep in mind: I am not a tournament angler. I have a 12v minnkota Powerdrive with a single group 27 Interstate deep cycle on my boat. Maybe 100 amp-hours. Most of our fishing outings are 3 hour jaunts on weekends or summer vacation days. Our trolling battery doesn't get pressed very hard. The requirements for a two or three battery setup, and/or a battery that gets used hard on multiple days will obviously be more intense.
I took a group 24, 85 amp-hour deep cycle batter, fully charged, and drained about 18 amps from it via an ammeter, inverter and a 75 watt light bulb. Then, I put the battery on a solar charge controller and a 40 watt panel. Because I am testing this at my home, I only have full sunlight without any tree interference for about 6 hours a day. In full sun, this setup was charging the battery at 2.7 amps per hour. If it was very hazy or partial cloud cover, the rate dropped back to 1 to 1.5 amps. The battery was full charged after about 9 hours of sun exposured. Pretty decent for my casual purposes.
Some things to keep in mind:
- This is in Georgia, where even in April, the sun pretty much parks itself overhead all afternoon. Ideal for solar.
- This is a modestly sized panel (about 2ft square, weighs about 10 pounds). Easily small enough to lay on the deck of a boat or nearby surface. 80 watt and 120 watt panels are proportionately bigger, but still quite portable. A 120 watt panel would give close to 10 amps per hour of charge. There are also panels and chargers that support 24v and 36v charging.
Obviously, this isn't ideal for everyone, but the panels are getting more potent for less money. About $1.25/watt in these sizes, and the charge controllers are under $50.
Just an FYI for anyone who might have a use for solar with their boat charging.
