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Solar Panels -
The idea of using the same solar energy that is heating you up to also cool you down has tremendous appeal. How practical that idea is depends on your budget and how much room you have for
solar (photovoltaic, or PV) panels . For most people on boats it will make sense to use PV panels to supplement other forms of charging but not entirely replace them.
As mentioned, the DC Breeze requires 600 watts of power to run at full speed. High quality crystalline solar panels (such those made by BP Solar) provide a "peak" output of about 11.5 watts per ft2. The flexible, amorphous type panels have lower output. On a boat in a tropical climate a realistic average over a 6 hour period would be about 50% of peak, or about 6 watts per ft2. To reliably handle the entire power requirement of the DC Breeze would require 100 square feet of PV panels. Not impossible, but not practical in most cases.
What is practical, is to use the panels to supplement other charging methods. Although PV panels do not put out their peak power all the time, they do provide the most power at the same time the solar load is at its highest. For this 2-3 hour window it is possible to average something much closer to peak output - maybe 80%. Using two PV panels of the most popular size for boaters (BP Solar model BP380 - 47.4" x 21.1") you could reasonably expect 120 watts of usable solar power which would effectively reduce the energy consumed by the DC Breeze by 20% (to 480 watts) during this peak period.
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