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Solar panel option in GRP hardtop

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Lhsrris218 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lhsrris218 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Solar panel option in GRP hardtop
    Posted: 25 September 2022 at 20:24
Hi.  I've ordered a 460 with GRP hardtop.  Looking at the built in solar option.  The only info my dealer could find was that it's 7 panels, 720w total using a victron controller.
Wondering if these are flexible or rigid panels and how they affix to the hardtop.
Hanse wants almost $13,000 for this setup which seems very overpriced.
Does not include batteries.
Any info, or alternative suggestions welcome.
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Wayne's World View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wayne's World Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 September 2022 at 00:39
Lhsrris218,

Without further info from the factory it is difficult to know what they are fitting. 7 panels sounds like they are fitting flexible panels (probably gluing them to the hardtop). We have various cruising friends who are owners of Hanse and other brands which have fitted flexible panels (some expensive versions some cheap flexible panels) and have found they do not last very long - between 18 months to 30 months. The ouput drops off after about this time to a fraction of their rating. The rigid panels often come with a guarentee of performance of 15 to 20 years. But they don't look as good as the flexible panels. 720 watts for a largish boat with lots of power needs (IMHO) is not enough. We have 1025 watts of hard (Victron) panels which often outperform their rating and in reality this is only just enough. But it is difficult to get much more on most monohulls. Having said that 720 watts is alot better than nil. You would need a sizable house battery bank to fully utilise the 720 watts of solar and the standard banks is probably too small. Lastly you mention the factory solar set up has "a" Victron Controller. You would want th esystem to have multiple controllers (MTTP) to aviod power lost due tp partial shading of one or more panels. You are correct $13,000 is a lot or 720 watts of solar when you already have the hardtop. I would think, even fitting the most expensive flexible panels, you could have 720 watts fitted with multiple MTTP controllers for about half that price.  
Wayne W
Cruising, currently in the Caribbean and will head across the Pacific early 2024
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Lhsrris218 View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Lhsrris218 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26 September 2022 at 21:46
update.  Seems it comes with a mastervolt scm60 mppt-mb controller.  Apparently this also allows the panels to be connected in series to avoid shading problems and use less cables - does that actually work?
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Wayne's World View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Wayne's World Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 27 September 2022 at 02:14
No. Don't think it will avoid shading problems. It would of course use less cable length. The other issue is if the single controller fails = no solar. We have three panels and three controllers. But the controllers could handle 2 panels connected in series if one controller failed. It two controllers failed we could still have at least 2 panels (2/3) of our solar still working. It depends on what you want to do with the boat. If you are mainly cruising from a home port for a few weeks at a time and are close to good services you could have a failed controller replaced fairly easily. If you are going to more remote areas for longer periods then I would want some redundancy. Just  my 2 cents. 

Wayne W
Cruising, currently in the Caribbean and will head across the Pacific early 2024
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Black Diamond View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Black Diamond Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 12 October 2022 at 23:25
Agree with Wayne.        I don't see how it avoids shading problems from the boom or other.    I have 5 panels on 4 controllers for the same reason.  In addition to the two forward ones being two to avoid shading impacting more than it should,   I can see how each panel/bank is doing by using the cell phone application that comes with the Victron MPPT controller.

If you have a bad panel (not that THAT ever happens) being able to see it performing differently than the others can be important.
Rick
S/V Black Diamond
Hanse 575 Build #192, Hull# 161
Newport, RI
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Cenk View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Cenk Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 November 2023 at 18:32
Hi,
It has been a year since the last post on this subject but I had some updates for my Hanse 460 HardTop Hull #221 (delivery planned for Sept 2024) from my dealer.

The Hanse standard €13k solar panels are:
- 720W
- Flex Panels
- Serial connected (thus subject to loss of capacity for shaded parts also no redundancy)
- have 2 MPPT's (Mastervolt brand, same brand as the default invertor Hanse uses)
This info is from my dealer and he also added that in case of shade (and it happens), the capacity goes down but the panels do not stop.

Based on this, I decided to cancel them (still trying to cancel) and checked the alternatives for parallel connection not lose capacity and to create redundancy.

And, I have found very nice alternatives with parallel connection and Victron connectors and Victron brain that helps to monitor them remotely. The alternatives, with installation, costs €7k-9k range.

What have you decided to do with the solar panels or did you get any more updates?
Cenk Tukel
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marsella View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote marsella Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 November 2023 at 19:45
If Hanse setup is with two MPPTs, likely they split solar on two independent arrays, so boom shading should affect only half of the output. I ordered Solbian flexible panels with Sunware cells, all custom cut to cover my 458 deck, total 11 panels with 7 MPPTs, about 950pw, boom/mast shading effect is only 1/7th or about 15%. Cost was 10K$ for panels with shipping from Italy + about 1K$ for Victron MPPTs. Hanse did not offer solar options on 458s, but Wendel&Rados shop next door to shipyard had plenty of offers, pricing was outrageous, glad I did all by myself. Cheers!

Edited by marsella - 02 November 2023 at 19:47
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S&J View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote S&J Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 November 2023 at 05:02
Reading through this, for a hardtop I would recommend solid aluminium framed panels rather than semi-flexible.  Much less expensive and more robust.  They way solar technology is developing you may want to upgrade in a few years anyway.
I have 240W semi- flexible on the foredeck and 410W rigid on an arch.  Both parallel.  This can give me 3Kw a day (probably more as my controller for the arch was limited to 20A this season but will be 30A next season)
H458 #159 Primal Mediterranean cruising
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NeilGraham View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote NeilGraham Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 February 2024 at 18:26
Regarding your questions about the solar panels, it's understandable to want more details. Whether the panels are flexible or rigid and how they affix to the hardtop are crucial considerations. It might be helpful to reach out directly to Hanse for clarification on these points.
Alternatively, you could explore alternative suggestions with solar panels cork. They're experts in solar technology and may offer more cost-effective solutions tailored to your needs. Plus, they can provide valuable insights into the installation process and maintenance requirements.

Edited by NeilGraham - 21 February 2024 at 12:40
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Black Diamond View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Black Diamond Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 February 2024 at 00:07
There is no doubt that framed panels mounted in a non-traffic area would be more efficient and probably easier to install.    On the other hand,  I don't personally find them attractive.  Many installations I have seen make the boat look a floating RV on its way to Yellowstone Park. :-). 

That said,  I've seen some really nice installations (on a 455 BTW) with Solbian panels customized by the factory to the layout needed.  Rugged panels, flush to the deck, not wrecking the lines of the boat.  

My US$0.02


Rick
S/V Black Diamond
Hanse 575 Build #192, Hull# 161
Newport, RI
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