Nigel Calder & Jeff Cote Talk Marine Electrical - Part 10 of 11 - Large Solar Arrays

Nigel and Jeff are together again to talk about all things marine electric! Over the next few Sundays, they will talk about a number of different topics in this 11-part interview:
Part 1 - The Basics
Part 2 - Grounding, ELCI, and ESD
Part 3 - AC Ground to DC Ground Tie
Part 4 - Galvanic Isolators
Part 5 - Isolation Transformers
Part 6 - Electric Propulsion
Part 7 - Portable Generators
Part 8 - 48V Systems
Part 9 - Lithium Batteries
Part 10 - Large Solar Arrays
Part 11 - Drop In Lithium
Bonus Track - Favourite Products & Identifying Single Point Failures on your Boat
Read more about Nigel Calder’s HowToBoat Course, boathowto.com/#aff=pysystems
Download our free solar guide, www.pysystems.ca/solar-panels...
Check out the PYS website for more information on solar panels, www.pysystems.ca/shop/power/s...
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[@leolambert5676]

I agree with using solar to save money, example no shore power for 8 months at $80 per month = $640 savings. Been doing this for the last 4 years.

[@toddsawicki]

Jeff - which semi rigid panels do you recommend? Thx!

[@patdghop]

Hey jeff all the back igniting on my circuit breaker panels and my helm switch panel have gone out. This is on a 2008 31 ft Mainship pilot. After further investigation it seems that the light source was designed with EL wire. I have tested the DC to AC inverters and they seem to be ok producing 142v AC. The units are designed for 300-600cm. I can only imagine that all the EL wire has reached end of life and needs to be replaced. All the EL wire has been duct taped to the back of the panels and will require removal of all the electronics before the tape and EL wire can be removed. Do you recommend replacing with EL wire again or do you recommend something else such as LED strip lighting(which is difficult to bend to illuminate each breaker label) or something else? Whatever It is will require a lot of time and will probably be my winter project. For now I will continue to use my trusty flashlight. Thank you for your great advice!