Very, Very Thin!

As can be seen these Semi-flexible panels are very thin. Unlike previous armorphous “flexible” panels the these are a monocrystalline panel. This makes them about half the size of a comparable armorphous panel and very efficient for the real estate they take up. SunPower panels use only premium graded SunPower® cells. Currently SunPower® is making the most efficient cells on the market.

The benefits of semi-flex panels can be unique and necessary for some installations. Are these panels more expensive than traditional panels?

Things to consider:

#1 The ultra light weight of these panels means they can be affixed to most any Sunbrella type bimini or dodger (consider shading on dodgers).

#2 This weight savings usually means the original bimini frame is more than strong enough for the added weight of the Semi-flex panels. The last rigid solar panel I installed, in the 125W range, weighed 28 pounds. This was just the weight of the panel alone and did not include the extra stainless tube, fittings & aluminum framing needed for attaching it to the bimini. When all was said and done this single 125W panel added well over 40 pounds to the top of the bimini. This panel weighs just under 5 pounds. This is a huge weight savings.

#3 When fitting a traditional rigid panel to a bimini, a frame needs to be custom built at the expense of the fittings, stainless tubing and the aluminum support frame for the rigid panel. This can run into the hundreds of dollars in just supplies not including custom tube bending/crowning etc. etc.

#4 When fitting a rigid panel to a bimini, the bimini often needs to be converted to a full strapless type bimini. The fittings and stainless tube for this add even more money to the up-front project costs.

Velcro Attachment

Richard, of Hallett Sails, decided that dual Velcro, both top and bottom, with a lapel was the best method to attach the panel to the bimini. Suffice it to say it is a very, very robust attachment.

The owner of this boat, an avid offshore voyager, has been caught in off shore storms before and wanted a solar option that allowed the easy removal of the panel. He also did not want a panel with a bulky, sharp aluminum frame to try and stow below in rough seas or for storm prep.

This Solbian CP-125 panel will easily stow below a berth cushion and not even be noticeable. He also did not want to re-invent his bimini frame which was simply not strong enough to support the weight of a rigid panel.

EDIT: 5/30/18 This panel, attached in this manner, has  sailed from Maine to the Caribbean multiple times now.

Ready To Go

Here you can see the Velcro lapel affixed to the panel and the junction box connected to the feed wire via MC4 connectors. While I am not a big fan of “knock-off” MC4 connectors, in the marine environment, premium quality MC4’s (made by Multi-Contact) do make sense for this type of installation.

Wire Lapel

Here is another boat with a similarly aged bimini. What we are looking at here is the Velcro lapel to cover the wires. If the canvas was not so faded, it would look much better.

Bimini & Frame Before

Not all bimini tops are created equally and there are vast differences in canvas makers and their ability to produce a quality product. Sadly this bimini was a prime example of a canvas maker who should consider serving Slurpy’s at a 7 Eleven instead of making canvas. The owner of this boat was not quite ready to invest in a new bimini & frame so the existing frame was modified to tighten & stiffen it enough to accept the Solbian panel.

What was wrong with this bimini & frame?

• Elcheapo support straps that stretch when wet and cause tripping hazards the rest of the time.
• Bimini over 10′ wide using thin wall 1″ tubing. Should have been heavy wall 1.25″..
• No support struts to prevent yawing side to side. Under sail this bimini was moving almost 6″ side to side at the top curve of the bimini tube.
• The middle bar did nothing but pull the canvas down in the middle thus creating a great spot for a puddle to drip on the owners head.
• Cheap thread was used and the bimini needed a full re-stitching in less than 4 years.
• The bias of the fabric was not considered and one panel had the bias going entirely the wrong direction.
• The fit of the fabric to the crown and curve of the bimini frame was absolutely horrible.

In short a third grader with a Playschool sewing machine could have likely done better work…. Please do not choose your canvas maker based on price, choose them based on ability. Canvas work is an art form…

Coupled With a Victron 75/10 Smart Solar MPPT Controller

Today we typically install: Victron SmartSolar MPPT Controllers (LINK). These controllers are fast, very, very competitively priced, 100% programmable and come in two varieties BlueSolar (no built in bluetooth) and SmartSolar (Built in Bluetooth). We highly recommend only purchasing the SmartSolar models.

For a charge controller on this install (before Victron Controller even launched) I coupled the Solbian CP-125 with the simple but very effective Genasun GV-10 MPPT controller. The Genasun controllers are great little controllers, and extremely fast tracking, if the factory preset voltage profiles work for your bank. If the Gensun voltages don’t match your battery, buy a Victron!

On boats, where movement and shading will be an issue, you want a fast tracking MPPT controller in order to maximize your PV output. Sadly the speed an MPPT tracks at, is far too often left out of the conversation. While land based MPPT controllers can get away with slower tracking on a boat we can’t. Almost all the cheap Chinese MPPT’s track at snail speeds compared to the brands listed below. Today, in this price range of controller,we are installing the small Victron controllers because they’re programmable right out of the box and with no custom programming up-charge to do so..

Regardless of what you choose for an MPPT controller always choose a fast-tracking MPPT controller. Brands utilizing fast tracking algorithms:

• Morningstar
• Victron
• Outback
• Midnite
• Genasun

Installed

Here’s a photo of the panel installed onto the bimini. The bimini will also get a Velcro lapel to cover the panel feed wire. We wanted to get the panel installed and the wire run before laying out the wires lapel.

On top of the lapel we added a “Strapless bimini Kit” making the bimini nice and taught. In this pic the straps are not even installed. It was purposely take this way to show just how light this panel really is. There is no tension on the forward bow at all other than gravity.

While no sailboat has the perfect spot for a solar panel, to 100% eliminate shading, on this boat the bimini top was still the best bet. The Solbian panels are a tremendous option for those needing light weight, high output per sq in and easy stowage.

In a price per watt category Solbian panels are not winners, however they can save installation costs so all these factors need to be weighed. Please do not compare the price of a Solbian to a knock-off Chinese panel as this is like comparing a Yugo to a Lexus.

125W of Invisible Solar

In this image the bimini had not yet been tensioned. I did this purposely to illustrate just how light weight these panels really are. Another benefit for this installation is the minimal disruption to the vessels aesthetics. The owner of this beautiful custom built Chuck Paine designed Able 42 preferred not to add any more visible “junk on the trunk” so to speak. The Solbian CP-125 sewn to the bimini is all but invisible power not further degrading the vessels lines at anchor…

Where’s The Panel?

The 125Wpanel is under this berth mattress hidden, out of sight, and protected from gouging up woodwork.. I laid down in the aft cabin and was unable to tell it was even there. This is one of the great unadvertised benefits of Semi-flex panels.

Good Luck with your project