Buss bars, ring connectors and solar panels

[bry]

I’m on a boat full-time without AC power and so no soldiering iron. My current panels, which I want to upgrade, are connected with ring connectors. Are there quality panels available with buss bars mounted in the junction box? Or feed-in, screw-down blocks. Panels which I can hopefully buy on Amazon.

Thank you… Bry

 

[BentleyJ]

Most panels have standard MC4 connectors which are not necessarily corrosion resistant for marine applications but I suspect the addition of some dielectric grease would help quite a bit.

 

[bry]

Thanks Bentley… and yes, dielectric grease is my best friend. I’ve been warned about making solar panel connections outside the hull and, so far, by using 10-gauge tinned wire and following the above rule, I’ve had no problems. And using the existing wire and connectors would save me a lot of time and trouble. But I need appropriate panels.

Bry

 

[HarryN]

Solarland makes some rugged panels that are designed with ring terminal connections in the terminal box in back.

An example are these SLP panels.

Solarland SLP140-24 Multicrystalline 140 Watt 24 Volt Solar Panel Class 1 Division 2

Note: This panel is discontinued, Please look at the Solarland SLP150S-24U.

www.solar-electric.com

SLD Tech (Solarland) 150w 24v Monocrystalline Solar Panel - ST-150P-24

SLD Tech (Solarland) ST-150P-24: High-Performance 150W 24V Monocrystalline Solar Panel Discover the power of clean energy with the SLD Tech ST-150P-24, a 150W 24V monocrystalline solar panel design...

thesolarstore.com

I use them for a variety of projects, partly because the frame is thicker, so I don't have to use much reinforcement.

I think that they take a #10 size terminal but not 100% sure right now. Zero issues. Good for coastal sun conditions where the light tends to be more scattered.

 

[tpenfield]

I have used a combination of crimp and soldering in my marine electronic projects (i.e. I crimp the connection, then solder it). Even without AC power, if you have (or can get) an inverter, many soldering irons use only 100-200 watts of power. For larger terminals, I have used a small propane torch to sufficiently heat the metal for soldering.