Solar panels on a sailing yacht — is it worth it?

Electronics & Navigation Tech
1

I’m thinking about adding solar panels to my Bavaria 38 and I’d like to hear from anyone who’s done it.

My current setup: I have a 120Ah house battery bank that I charge from the engine alternator. This works fine for weekend sailing but if I want to anchor for more than one night, I’m running the engine every day just for charging. It feels wasteful.

Questions for the solar users:

  • How many watts do you have and is it enough?
  • Rigid or flexible panels? I’ve heard mixed things about flexible ones
  • Where did you mount them — arch, davits, deck?
  • What charge controller do you use?
  • What’s the realistic output in Mallorca?

I’m thinking 2x 100W rigid panels on a simple arch over the pushpit. Budget is around €1,000-1,500 for panels, controller, and installation.

Thoughts?

2

I have 600W of solar on my Jeanneau — three 200W rigid panels on an arch. It’s more than most cruisers need but I have Starlink and a large fridge to power. Here’s what I can tell you:

  • 200W is the minimum I’d recommend for a cruising boat in the Med. It’ll keep your batteries topped up at anchor with moderate use
  • Rigid panels are more efficient and last longer than flexible. Flexible ones look nice but they degrade faster in the Med sun and can damage your deck
  • An MPPT controller is essential — don’t use a PWM controller, you’ll lose 20-30% of your power
  • In Mallorca summer you’ll get 5-6 hours of peak output per day. Two 100W panels will realistically give you 50-60Ah per day

Your budget of €1-1.5k should get you a good setup with rigid panels.

3

I put two 100W rigid panels on a stainless arch three years ago and it’s been one of the best upgrades I’ve made. Combined with LED lighting throughout the boat, I can anchor indefinitely without running the engine for charging.

I use a Victron MPPT controller and I can monitor everything via Bluetooth on my phone. The Victron ecosystem is excellent — easy to install and reliable.

One tip: angle your panels slightly rather than mounting them flat. Even 10-15° makes a noticeable difference to output.

4

Most of the charter boats I work on now have solar. The standard setup is 2x 120W on the bimini frame, which works well because you’re shading the cockpit and generating power at the same time.

One thing to consider: your battery bank might need upgrading too. If you’re only on 120Ah of lead-acid, you’re only using about 60Ah before you damage the batteries. Solar works best with lithium batteries where you can use 80-90% of the capacity. That’s a bigger investment though.

5

Thanks everyone — this is exactly what I needed. I think I’ll go with 2x 120W rigid panels on an arch with a Victron MPPT controller. I’ll keep the lead-acid batteries for now and maybe upgrade to lithium next year. One step at a time!