Hi George.
Yeah, I've seen their new $1000 solar charger. Because it's a flexible panel, it is pretty big for its output, 15 square feet for only 45W. That's 30% more area than a rigid 135W Kyocera panel that produces 3 times the power.
Unlike most rigid panels that warranty their panels to produce at least 90% of their rated capacity for 10 years and 80% capacity for 20 years, the Torqeedo panel has a warranty for 80% of the rated power for 2 years.
According to the Torqeedo site, their charger can recharge a 1003 battery in 13 hours, but that's at the full rated power (think noon). In Southern California, a stationary panel can only expect to collect an average of 6 hours of rated capacity in a day, so that panel would recharge a 1003 battery a little less than 50% if left out to charge all day.
Thay also state that the panel and outbaord can drive a dinghy at a little less than 2 knots on solar power alone, but that's only at midday when the panel is at its maximum output. Before 11:00 or after 3:00, you'll slow down a bit.
Before anyone thinks of buying a much cheaper and more powerful panel like the Kyocera 135 that I mentioned earlier to change the math, the Torqeedo is a smart battery that will only accept 45W of 12V nominal charging current. This means that a $200, 4 square foot, 45W rigid panel as much solar as you can use.
So the Torqeedo solar charger is an expensive and impressive solution, but there could be more cost effective alternatives out there.
Fair winds,
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "George Homme" <georgeh@...> wrote:
>
> They now offer a pretty expensive but impressive solar charger. Check it out!
>
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