Solar for a HouseboatGreetings!

[Markanderson]

am going to build out my Houseboat with solar and have a few questions. I have never worked with solar but I have with worked with 12v boat electrical systems my whole life.

I was planning on putting panels on the roof around 165W each. Shading is not an issue. Does anyone have good or bad things to say about Newpora or AltE panels?

	Newpowa	4 panels (s/p)		renogy	6 panels (s/p)		ALT-E	4 panels (s/p)
price	$204.53	$818.12		$115	$690		$189	$756
watts	175W	700W		100W	600W		165W	660W
price/watt	$1.17	$1.17		$1.15	$1.15		$1.15	$1.15
Voltage	19.06V	38v		16.0V	48v		18.72v	37.44v
Current	9.18A	18.36A		6.25A	18.75A		9.49A	18.98A
Effienciecy	16-17 %			15-18 %			16.60%

Another question, Is it wise to have the Charge Controller and the Battery Monitor the same company. Do they work together? A little fuzzy on this.
I was looking at the Midnite KID MPPT charge controller and a Victron Battery monitor. Midnite due to it being marine grade?

I will have many questions in the future but I am building out my shopping cart now and will be purchasing parts through out the winter.

I have not done a power calculation but this is what I will put on the boat-
DC LED lighting thru out the boat. 45 foot boat 4 rooms, roof deck so lots of lights
DC Stereo, Subwoofer AMP
DC water pumps (4)
USB chargers
DC fans

2000w Inverter/charger
AC outlets
30' TV
Fridge?

 

[Rocketman]

If both are Victron the Smartshunt will pass voltage, current, and temperature to the Victron smart solar mppt’s. Since you are looking at everything, take a bit and watch some YouTube videos on Victron’s Cerbo or CCGX. That will show you what information can be available.

I would recommend all Victron (because that’s what I put into my MotorHome), I like how it works together. Lots of boats use Victron gear too.

As for the panels, I have hightec panels I got from continuous resources.com. $200 for 215watts (shipped directly to you included).

If you have room, I would look at larger panels (350w or so). The real trick is to maximize the watts for the cost to the space.

Good luck!