Onboard Solar is pleased to announce the launch of its specialist canal and inland waterway electrical & electronic services, supporting narrowboats, widebeams and Dutch barges throughout the UK.

Already known for reliable off-grid solar systems, Onboard Solar now offers a full suite of professional marine electrical services, covering fault-finding, repairs, upgrades and complete electrical refits — all delivered by experienced marine engineers who understand the realities of life on the water.

When boat electrics are working properly, everything feels easier. Charging becomes predictable, power is stable, and unexpected faults don’t ruin weekends or cruising plans. Onboard Solar’s approach focuses on safe wiring, tidy installations, sensible component choices and real-world reliability, ensuring systems are built to work day after day, not just look good on paper.

Built for Canal & Inland Waterway Boats

Unlike general electricians, Onboard Solar specialises in the unique demands of inland boats. Systems are designed and installed with vibration, moisture, limited space and mixed charging sources in mind — helping boat owners avoid common issues such as premature battery failure, nuisance trips and unreliable power.

Whether customers are upgrading a single component or planning a full electrical overhaul, Onboard Solar provides clear advice, quality workmanship and solutions that make sense for how boats are actually used.

Electrical Fault-Finding & Repairs

Electrical problems can be frustrating, intermittent and difficult to trace. Onboard Solar offers thorough diagnostics to identify issues such as voltage drop, charging faults, heat damage, nuisance RCD/MCB trips, poor connections and so-called “mystery drains”.

Rather than guessing, engineers provide a clear explanation of the fault and a proper repair, restoring confidence in the system.

Battery Banks & Battery Monitoring

From battery replacements to complete bank redesigns, Onboard Solar helps customers improve runtime and reliability. Services include battery bank balancing, monitor installation and configuration, and correcting cabling and fuse protection.
The result is predictable energy storage and accurate state-of-charge information, so owners know exactly what power they have available.

Charging Systems: Alternator, Solar & Shore Power

Many onboard issues stem from poorly regulated charging. Onboard Solar improves charging performance across alternator, solar and shore power systems, ensuring batteries are protected and charged correctly.

This service is ideal for slow charging, over- or under-charging concerns, mixed charging sources and seasonal solar optimisation — delivering faster, safer charging and longer battery life.

Inverters, 230V AC Systems & Shore Power

Adding or upgrading mains power onboard requires careful design. Onboard Solar supplies and installs inverters, upgrades consumer units, implements correct earthing and bonding strategies, and integrates shore power safely.

The outcome is stable, properly installed AC power that improves safety, reduces nuisance trips and supports everyday onboard living.

DC Distribution, Fusing & Cable Upgrades

Many boats suffer from years of add-ons and temporary fixes. Onboard Solar rebuilds untidy DC systems with proper fuse protection, busbars, isolators, labelled circuits and neatly routed looms.

This results in a safe, serviceable electrical system that current and future engineers can work on with confidence.

Marine Electronics & Practical Upgrades

From LED lighting and pumps to switches, control panels and general 12V electronics, Onboard Solar modernises onboard systems to reduce power draw and improve usability.

Upgrades are selected for durability and practicality, delivering clean, dependable improvements that suit real cruising.

Onboard Solar now provides complete marine electrical and electronic services for canal boats across the UK — combining technical expertise with a practical, boat-owner-first approach.

The post Onboard Solar Launches Dedicated Electrical & Electronic Services for Canal Boats appeared first on Onboard Solar.

This year’s show will take place from the 24th to the 26th of May 2025 at Crick Marina, Crick, Northants. Billed as Britain’s Biggest Inland Waterways Festival, it’s the perfect place for boat lovers to come together, explore the latest in boating innovations, and enjoy a weekend packed with activities.

One of the highlights of the Crick Boat Show is the chance to meet and learn from experts across the boating industry. Whether you’re a seasoned boater or completely new to life on the water, the show offers a unique opportunity to connect, discover, and get inspired.

Onboard Solar, a crowd favourite at previous shows, will be back this year at stand V-BMR10 with an exciting new setup. Their exhibition trailer will be fully powered by solar, providing a live demonstration of the energy solutions they offer. Visitors can see first hand how solar power can enhance off-grid living—both on water and on land.

This year, Onboard Solar is also debuting its new range of Flexi solar panels, designed specifically for boats and vehicles. Lightweight, durable, and versatile, these panels are ideal for curved surfaces and tight spaces, making them a great solution for narrowboats, campervans, widebeams, and more.

In addition to the wide range of exhibitors, the Crick Boat Show 2025 will feature live music, fantastic food and drink options, workshops, and seminars covering everything from boat maintenance to cooking onboard. Safety demonstrations, lifejacket clinics, and expert talks will also be available throughout the weekend.

As the boating world gears up for another fantastic Crick Boat Show, don’t miss your chance to experience it all—from cutting-edge technology to family-friendly fun. Whether you’re looking to upgrade your boat, go greener with solar, or simply enjoy a great day out, Crick Boat Show 2025 is the place to be this May.

Special Show Offer
To celebrate, we’re offering an exclusive 10% discount on all orders placed in May — don’t miss your chance to power up and save!

The post Onboard Solar Gears Up for Crick Boat Show 2025 with Full Solar Demo and New Flexi Panels appeared first on Onboard Solar.

Delivering over a kilowatt (1,180 watts) of power this is a serious system to keep the most power hungry of boats going and with enough overhead to support live aboard use right through the year. Best suited to wide beam boats due to the larger size of the panels (1500mm x 1000mm), however it will comfortably fit on a narrowboat but fills the entire roof width so may not be suitable for those that work off the roof a lot such as single handers.

Priced at £2,200 fully fitted this is our best value high power system.

The post New High Output System appeared first on Onboard Solar.

By Christine Ro.

Technology of Business reporter.

Narrowboat dwellers are some of the most energy-conscious people in London. And Amy Cross and Wes Arthur are no exception.

The couple have spent much of the summer navigating London’s waterways on their slim 50-foot boat. As continuous cruisers, they’re required to change their mooring locations every two weeks. Continuous cruisers can’t count on prized permanent moorings with electricity points.

Miss Cross and Mr Arthur, who make chatty YouTube videos under the handle Boat Time, have three solar panels that provide most of their electricity in the summer, while still leaving enough space for them to picnic and grow plants on the boat’s roof.

“We are just extremely aware of how much power we are using at any given moment,” says Mr Arthur. They regularly check an app that indicates how much power is being drawn, and how much is left.

Like many permanent boaters, they’ve had to make sacrifices when it comes to energy-gobbling devices. Miss Cross has given up her hair straighteners, for instance.

Both are big computer gamers who also work in the gaming industry: she as a streamer on gaming platform Twitch, and he as a designer.

Miss Cross and Mr Arthur had to downscale their extensive six-monitor computing setup once they moved onto the boat in 2021.

Still, the power-hungry software Mr Arthur uses for game development on his laptop takes up most of their power on weekdays. Sometimes Miss Cross can only stream during the day, when there’s abundant solar power.

“Some games we can’t play in the winter,” Miss Cross says.

Like the Boat Time duo, it’s common for narrowboaters to strategise which electrical devices are plugged in at the same time, so as not to overload the system. In winter, some boaters go without refrigerators or cool boxes.

In any season, devices like hairdryers and irons may be nearly impossible to run. For the fortunate few continuous cruisers who have miniature washing machines or air conditioners onboard, low-wattage models are the way to go.

Running a microwave for 10 minutes might take a narrowboat’s solar panels three hours to redraw, according to Tim Davis of the company Onboard Solar.

Onboard Solar’s systems are all designed to tilt 40 degrees in any direction. Being able to turn a panel toward the sun makes a big difference during times of the year when the sun is lower, Mr Davis says.

Even though the cost of solar power per watt has declined, prices of solar installation haven’t come down hugely because the capacity has increased, says Mr Davis.

At Onboard Solar, £1,650 would cover full installation of what he calls a “decent” solar power system: three panels and 645 watts, as long as the client already has suitable batteries.

The main innovation he’s seen in the narrowboat solar space is in the charge controller that acts as the bridge between the panel and the battery. Recent generations of charge controllers have allowed for higher voltage and better performance under different conditions of light and shade.

Solar technology that works in some shade is especially important for continuous cruisers in summer, who face tough decisions between cooling off their stiflingly hot boats under tree cover and mooring in full sun to maximise energy generation.

The Boat Time YouTubers have invested in a more efficient inverter, which turns the direct current generated by their solar panels into the alternating current used by the grid.

They also got new lithium batteries with much better storage, to replace their old lead-acid batteries.

While the battery upgrade wasn’t cheap, and they had to buy a specific type with built-in heat pads so the batteries could be stored outside, Miss Cross says that “it was night and day, the difference that it made”.

Mr Davis is hopeful for advancements in a different battery technology, lead-carbon batteries, which use gel rather than liquid. He says that the storage capacity is still limited, but lead-carbon batteries are easier to recycle than lithium ones.

Read the full story of the BBC website here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-66370302?fbclid=IwAR2DGIScnQOJ8VjF68B1FergBJ3IAAybUf9vBZIArc46lEAMLnsg1nm1Wro

The post Can narrowboat owners break up with fossil fuels? appeared first on Onboard Solar.

This year’s show will take place from the 27th to the 29th May 2023 at Crick Marina, Crick, Northants. It’s billed as Britain’s Biggest Inland Waterways Festival, and it’s easy to see why. There’s so much to see and do at the show, from browsing the latest boats to checking out the latest accessories and gadgets for your vessel.

One of the highlights of the Crick Boat Show is the chance to talk to experts in the boating industry. Whether you’re a seasoned boater or new to the world of boating, you’ll find plenty of people at the show who are passionate about boating and eager to share their knowledge with you.

One company that’s sure to draw a crowd at this year’s show is Onboard Solare], which will be exhibiting its solar power packages for Narrowboats, Widebeams and Dutch Barges. Visitors to the company’s stand, V-BMR5, will have the opportunity to learn more about how these solar power solutions can enhance their boating experience and make their vessels more eco-friendly.

In addition to exhibitors, the Crick Boat Show will feature a range of activities and events to keep visitors entertained. There will be live music, food and drink vendors, and a range of workshops and seminars covering everything from boat maintenance to cooking on board.

Of course, safety is always a top priority when it comes to boating, and the Crick Boat Show will provide visitors with the opportunity to brush up on their safety skills. There will be lifejacket clinics, fire safety demonstrations, and much more.

As the countdown to the Crick Boat Show continues, excitement is building among boating enthusiasts across the UK. Whether you’re looking to buy a new boat, learn more about the latest boating technologies, or just have a great day out with friends and family, the Crick Boat Show is the place to be this May

The post Countdown to Crick Boat Show appeared first on Onboard Solar.

The post We are Exhibiting at CRICK BOAT SHOW appeared first on Onboard Solar.

Solar power on a narrowboat is a great investment for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is a sustainable source of energy. By harnessing the power of the sun, narrowboat owners can reduce their carbon footprint and save money on traditional energy bills. In fact, many narrowboat owners report significant savings on their energy costs after installing solar panels.

Secondly, solar power on a narrowboat provides greater independence. When out on the water, traditional sources of energy may not always be available. Solar power ensures that narrowboat owners have a reliable source of energy no matter where they are.

Lastly, solar power on a narrowboat adds value to the boat itself. With the growing demand for sustainable living, narrowboats with solar panels are becoming more attractive to potential buyers. This means that the installation of solar panels can increase the resale value of a narrowboat.

Our company, Onboard Solar, specializes in supplying and fitting solar panels on narrowboats anywhere in England. We understand the unique challenges that come with installing solar panels on a narrowboat and have the expertise to ensure that the installation is done correctly and efficiently. Our team of professionals will work with customers to determine the best solar solution for their specific needs and budget.

Investing in solar power on a narrowboat is a smart choice for those looking to live a more sustainable and independent lifestyle while also adding value to their boat. With the help of Onboard Solar, narrowboat owners can easily make the switch to solar power and start reaping the benefits.

The post Solar Power on a Narrowboat Adds Value appeared first on Onboard Solar.

High Capacity Systems
Our high-capacity systems are designed to cater to those with larger energy requirements. Customers seeking a larger system to support bigger loads will also need to consider a suitably sized battery bank. We have now launched our high end solar systems in a similar fixed price format allowing customers to see up front the cost of a larger system.

Other High-End Products – (Bespoke add on Systems as an optional extra)
We have also developed a product called Smart Switch, which is a single box that integrates off-the-shelf components. Smart Switch can be used in two different ways.

Solar Dump to Immersion Heater
This version of Smart Switch consists of our Smart Switch box together with a dual element 240V/12V immersion heater. The system can be configured to switch on and off the 12V, 300W immersion heater based on configurable parameters such as battery voltage. If the solar panels have the batteries at a fully charged voltage and are effectively in float mode, then solar power can be diverted to the immersion.
Once the voltage drops to a preset level, Smart Switch cuts off the immersion. The great advantage of this solar dump system over using a charge controller-based solar dump is that the solar continues to charge the batteries even while the dump is active.

Selective Use of Shore Power
The second role of Smart Switch is for those in a marina wishing to save on electricity costs. This version will selectively switch to shore power based on configurable parameters such as when a big load is drawn (by a washing machine, for example).
The system then switches back to solar once light loads are being drawn.

*It is important to note that both versions of Smart Switch require a decent-sized solar setup. We would not recommend using it on anything less than an 860W solar system and is not included in the fixed package price.

Email: tim@onboardsolar.co.uk
Phone: 07810 885734
www.onboardsolar.co.uk

The post New High Capacity Fixed-Price Solar Systems appeared first on Onboard Solar.

Firstly a bit about me and my involvement in solar energy. I have been a live aboard boater for 12 years now and during that time have worked exclusively in the boat building and maintenance industry.

My role has always been all the technical side of boat building, things like engine fitting, heating and plumbing, gas and of course one of the biggest jobs on a boat – wiring and electrics – in fact anything that’s not wood work – indeed my wood working colleagues often joked than no one knew what Tim did as all his work was covered up with lovely wood!

It was around 4 years ago I first got involved in fitting of solar panels for a customer. It was a very impressive system but also hugely expensive which largely made it prohibitive for most boaters at the time, as although it undoubtedly worked very well the payback time would have been many years with too greater upfront cost to make it practical.

Two years later and I was planning an extended cruise around the system and decided to re visit solar and see if I could build a system for my boat as I was getting fed up with running either the engine or generator for a couple of hours each day when I wanted to sit somewhere for a week or two and the pain of having to turn the fridge off if I wanted to leave the boat for a day or two. After a lot of research I came up with the system I have now and found many boater friends became interested it how good it was.

As my main objective was to come up with a system that gave me the MOST output for the LEAST cost I had “accidentally” created a product that other boaters might want. Within a short space of time it turned into my current business “Onboard Solar” a complete service supplying and fitting of complete solar packages AND helping people reduce their energy draw on the boat!

So what do solar panels actually do?

Well, its really quite simple, they act as a battery charger – and that’s it! Many of you will have built in chargers that you switch on when plugged in in a marina (Luxury!). The panels effectively do the same thing, but the power comes from the sun. They don’t have anything like the same output as a mains charger though – not even on a relatively large solar installation so one myth to quickly dispel is you can’t fit solar and then expect an abundant supply of power as you would when plugged in. A solar system effectively trickle charges your domestic batteries during the day. Most boats have one piece of equipment that is on all the time and they want to keep going every day – can you guess what it is? The TV? No! it’s the fridge of course! Most boats sensibly have a 12V fridge and this can be kept running comfortably through the spring and summer/early autumn by a modest solar system – indeed I left my boat tied up for a week in the summer and left the fridge ON oh yes! Remember though the solar system charges the batteries which the fridge then runs from.

So a solar system is designed to keep your basic 12V needs up and running while you sit on the cut in a lovely place somewhere for a few days (or perhaps as many of my customers do have a linear mooring with no power). They won’t run heavy duty mains appliances like washing machines (you still need to run the engine and use the inverter for that) and you WILL still have to be as careful as ever with your power but you WON’T have to run your engine anywhere near as often – AND you can leave the boat for a day or two and not worry.

I also encourage boaters to adopt power saving technologies such as LED lighting (fantastic these days and amazing – you can have around 10 LEDs on for the power of one halogen bulb – oh and we sell them too!). The thing is you can spend a relatively large amount on solar and it will work very well IF you think about minimising your draw and continuing (as we all do) to be careful with your power.

There are other tricks too like running laptops through power converters rather than using the big inverter – please feel free to contact me for further details on all of these “asides”.

How do they work?

Good news folks – you don’t need to know! Its all quite boring talking about silicon atoms, photons and electrons! (email me if you do want to know). In short, you shine the sun on a panel and it outputs low voltage DC electricity (just what we need on a boat eh?) – and that’s it! However what you DO need to know is that as the sun changes brightness the voltage varies enormously and often way above the charge rate a battery likes to have so you have to use a regulator between the panels and the batteries. These have a side advantage that there is a digital display on them giving you info such as battery voltage, charge rate in amps and amount of charge in amp hours – all quite handy to know! Surprisingly, many boats don’t have any way of telling what’s in the battery. There are actually different types of regulator as well which I will come back to later.

So I’m thinking of buying a solar package – what size? How many panels?

Well this is tricky to answer as it’s the old “how long is a piece of string thing”. Be very careful here though as you could spend a couple of hundred pounds on say an 80W system that only gives you 2 or 3 amps which is just not quite enough and you will still need to run the engine often.

However from experience I can tell you that for most boats that are what I like to call “12V” based, that is to say you have a 12V fridge and have done your best to minimise your power draw, then a 200W system is a good start.

In my packages – remember the mantra of MAXIMUM power for MINIMUM outlay? I discovered that 100W panels offer the best price per watt, whilst being of a manageable size. Therefore to achieve bigger output one simply has multiple 100W panels – thus a 200W system would have 2 panels etc.

It seems smaller panels and larger panels do not have this economy on cost. This gives the system a nice modular approach and means with forward planning you can add another panel at a later date easily. A 200W system will give a charge rate (using the standard controller) of around 12 amps on a good mid summer day – that’s 12 amps continuously going into the batteries all day long while the sun shines – the fridge draws about 4 amps when the compressor is running so there is plenty left over to charge the batteries as well ready for the evening when you want to use the power for lighting and the TV.

On a dull winters day like this late November (more rain!) I was seeing 1.7 amps off of mine – ok not much but it is still a charge. Over last weekend we had some of that lovely unbroken winter sun all day on Sunday and I tilted my panels into the low sun and saw 5 amps. So the motto here is you need to have enough watts to make it worthwhile and you can never have too much (its then down to your budget). And yes sadly there WILL be days especially in the winter where you will need to run that engine still.

So what type of panels are best? – I’ve seen stick-on ones for example.

Another very often asked question – There are different types of panel available the two common types seen are the rigid panel type, usually glass coated and in an aluminium frame and the flexible type which sit flush on the roof and look great!

However beware – I went through this in my research and came up with this. Do I want a panel that looks great and really enhances the look of the boat, or do I want one that works better AND is much lower cost?

Joking aside, the issues are as follows:-

1. Panels work best when aimed directly at the sun – there is no scope for tilting the stick-on panels into the sun.
2. The light transfer capability of the gel coating on the sticky panels as opposed to glass on the rigid panels doesn’t work as well.
3. Panels like to stay as cool as possible, when hot they output less – we all know how hot the roof gets in the summer, imagine how hot a stick on panel would get!

So the system I chose for my boat is as follows. I use 100W panels (I, as many of my customers do, have 2 of them). They are the rigid frame type with aluminium surround. They are mounted on tilting brackets (see photo). These are A shaped brackets 8” high mounted at each end of the panel. These brackets have several great advantages:-

1. You can easily tilt the panels into the sun – this can make a difference of plus 60%
2. As they are above the roof on the brackets they keep really cool.
3. Having them on the brackets mean they can be installed on the centre line of the boat as they ride beautifully over the top of any mushroom vents, are easy to get round and actually look quite smart.
4. They are very easy to clean under with no rust or dirt traps and of course easy when you want to repaint the roof.
5. The final advantage is without doubt the MOST important. The stick on panels are about twice the price of the system I have just described.

As an aside I was worried – I have a lovely vintage style BCN tug all in proper livery and I didn’t want to spoil it with solar panels, but I did want the power so I was very nervous, but you know what? A few weeks in I was used to them and people who always say admiring things about the boat when I’m in a lock still do and often actually complement the panels so it was not a big deal in the end! “Fusing technology with tradition” the marketing department would call it I think!

So what’s all this watts/amps/volts stuff?

Again it’s not critical to know any of this but it helps to understand what’s going on. Voltage is your store of power – like a water tank. Fully charged batteries sit at 12.6 volts. Amps is the flow of current to a consumer such as the fridge or lights – like the flow of water in a pipe – it is critical as the more amps you draw the quicker the batteries go flat, the more you put in the quicker they get charged. Your shore power charger might be 50 amps or more so you can see that 200W of solar with an average of say 8A output is quite small. Watts is the actual power that a consumer uses so your 12V telly say might be 120W. From this you can easily work out how many amps it uses by dividing it by the volts (12) – that example tells me its drawing 10amps.

Solar panels are also all sized in watts because they are a power source. So 200W divided by 12 = around 16 amps right? So hang on, why don’t you get 16A out of a 200W system then? Its all down to the regulator/controller. The standard one works by actually lowering the voltage of the panels down to an acceptable charge rate (maximum of 14.4 volts) in doing so it introduces loss as the extra volts are simply wasted. (my panels generate 21 volts in full sun for example). To over come this I have a new regulator called an MPPT controller – it stands for Maximum Power Point Tracking and means just that – it allows the panels to run at their full voltage with no wastage and uses that to drive a more sophisticated charger (like a mains powered charger) within the controller. I have seen the full 16amps off of a 200W system using the new controller so it definitely works!

So what’s the deal with Onboard Solar?

The first thing I like to do is get an idea of what you are running on your boat and the size of the battery bank, together we look at any scope for trimming down power then I can recommend the right size system – my take on this is if you are going to spend a few hundred pounds on a solar system – you want to get the very best return. Though generally 12V based narrow boats start with 200W. Some wide beams with 230V fridge and freezer run through an always on large inverter require 400W or more just to keep up with the load.

In both cases I now encourage use of the new MPPT controller as it does make a difference. I then supply and fit everything – keeping cables and fittings as tidy as possible, then of course show you what‘s what – though you will be pleased to hear it all self manages!. It takes a couple of hours and removes the headache and drama of drilling holes in your own boat cos you have to get that right first time!

You will have a little controller that gives you useful info about the charge rate and more usefully the battery voltage so this time of the year you can look and see if your batteries are not getting enough charge so you know when its time to run the engine! Optionally I also supply power management panels. These show you the amps that you are drawing as well as the amps going in and keep a count up of amp hours used/charged.

So say at night you are drawing 6 amps for the tv and some lights, every 10 minutes you will use 1 amp hour. In the morning once the solar kicks in these amp hours get counted back in again (or when the engine or charger is on) so it’s a fuel gauge for your batteries.

What sort of budget do I need?

Cost is currently £625 all inclusive for supply/fit of the 200W and £1,050 for the 400W system with an extra £150 for the MPPT upgrade. (300w or greater than 400W also available).

So in summary then, solar panels act as a charger to keep your basic 12V needs up and running allowing you to sit anywhere for days at a time without having to worry. It is a great thrill to use power of an evening, get up on a bright spring or summer morning and see your batteries under charge at 13.5 volts instead of way down and thinking “ok better start the engine up”

What about payback?

This is a tricky one, because it depends how you measure it, financially most customers agree about a year IF you spend a lot of time out and about or especially if you are a live aboard on a mooring with no power – this is a real win situation. If you are in a marina then there is not a huge benefit as the main charger “takes over”. I do have a couple of customers in marinas who have opted for 400W systems (to increase the charge rate) and they no longer plug in and are thus saving the huge cost of marina electricity standing charges etc. However the payback of NOT running that engine every morning just to keep the batteries charged is huge – real convenience.

My final word is a quote from a customer and good friend of mine. We were sitting by his boat and having rather nice Gin and Tonics crammed full of ice from his 12V fridge/freezer on a lovely summer evening on the North Oxford. As he passed me the drink he gestured towards his solar panels on the roof and said – “there you go, Tim – ice cubes made from the sun!” Brilliant!

I hope this brief article has helped to explain something of what the solar energy applied to boats is all about. There are many pictures and lots of info on this web site or please feel free to email me tim@onboardsolar.co.uk or call me on 07810 885734 

This article was written by Tim for the online magazine http://www.livingonanarrowboat.co.uk

The post Solar Power – What’s it all about? appeared first on Onboard Solar.

Onboard Solar – History

Onboard Solar has for the last 10 years provided off grid solar systems for boats. We adopted an approach of providing fixed price pre configured complete system, installed on a boat for a fixed price regardless of boat location. These systems designed via a charge controller to top up the boats domestic batteries during the day while providing enough excess power to ensure any equipment such as refrigeration, pumps etc could run during the day while the solar was generating.

The key to success of such a system being advising the customer on how to best set their boat up for off grid use. Adopting a predominately 12v lifestyle with 12v fridge, 12v USB sockets for device charging, 12v TV and entertainment systems. This 12v lifestyle strategy, not relying on an inverter and power hungry 240v meaning a relatively small system coupled with a relatively small typical boat battery bank of around 400 amp hours capacity, could sustain a boat for days on end without engine running (well, certainly from Spring till Autumn). Since 2012 we have successfully installed over 2,500 systems from this fixed price range, typically between 2 and 6 panels depending on customer requirement, how the boat is set up and of course available budget.

New Bespoke Systems

At the start of 2022 as well as offering our very popular “packaged” fixed price systems, we launched a fully bespoke service. This is aimed at those who have much larger requirements, space limitations for panels or simply need something more than a standard system. One such requirement received in August 2022 was for an intelligent large scale system for a wide beam that would supply all the power while cruising but also allow the solar and shore power to load share to reduce on grid electricity bills. This is the case study documented within this article.

The post Charging & Water Heating with on Grid Load Sharing appeared first on Onboard Solar.