Solar array installation on 47’ Beneteau sailboat

This cruiser was tired of having to run their Yanmar diesel every day to charge their batteries. We installed a solar array with four Renogy 160 watt 20 volt solar panels. With 640 watts of solar, there is plenty of power to meet the needs of the owners of this boat to enjoy long weekend sailing trips around Hawaii.

To convert the solar arrays 20 volts into the appropriate charging voltage for the 12 volt battery system, we installed two Victron Smart Solar Charge Controllers. They are each capable of receiving 100 volts and outputting 50 amps.

Integrating the solar charging system with the boats electrical system is an important step to the installation. Proper fusing of the wires within seven inches of being connected to a source of power is important to prevent the possibility of burning your boat down. All of our installations are built to strict ABYC electrical standards to ensure safety and reliability. We installed two Maxi 50 amp fuses on these 6 AWG wires coming from the solar charge controllers. Installing a solar charging buss allows for additional solar installations to easily incorporate into the boat. You can never have enough solar!