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max-salgado avatar image
max-salgado asked

Electrical system recommendation for offshore sailing yacht

Hi Victron Community,

I hope these stressful quarantine days find you well.

Let me explain what I have and what I want to accomplish and maybe you can help answer some of my questions and concerns

I am making switching to electric propulsion on my 43'(13.1m) yacht since the 40 year old Diesel Buhk/hydraulic drive system has seen better days.

For this I am installing a Fischer Panda 8000 NE PMS 230VAC 50Hz max power 6.5kW

The propulsion motor I am considering would be 48VDC with around 15 to 20kW of power with an expandable 48V 100 Amp-Hour battery bank

I also want to solar panels provide some level of charge as I am planning on cruising to the south pacific islands.

I have been considering the EasySolar II GX setup since it seems to have all of the parts in one unit.

One of my fears is that it's IP rating is 2.1, which would mean that I would most likely have to install the unit in dry locker that is constantly ventilated.

Would you recommend going this route of would you go for separate components for each one of the functions of the EasySolar unit, meaning, separate charger, inverter, MPPT solar charge controller, battery balancer etc... Price would not be an issue, as I estimate the costs of having to replace the EasySolar unit would offset going the separate route.

I think it's a big decision and it's possible to argue for both configurations:
1.On the one hand would like the fact that I could maintain each of the functions separately in case either of them fails, whereas with the EasySolar I imagine it would be very hard to debug issues since it seems like it would all be bundled together, and the low environmental rating makes me think it would not be very well suited for the marine environment.
2.On the other hand having everything centralized in a neat small package would make it indeed easier to accommodate in a very well designed dry locker with proper ventilation and possibly a small dehumidifier.

I apologize for the long message, but I seem to have a lot of spare time these days and it's got me wondering.

Let me know what you think.

Kind Regards

Max

Phoenix InverterEasySolar All-in-OneOrion DC-DC Converters not smartsolaryacht
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2 Answers
kai avatar image
kai answered ·

pros and cons either way. I went with a multiplus (i.e. single package) but in hindsight I wonder if should have gone with a piecemeal solution. You can do partial upgrades with the latter, can't if everything is one unit.


20kW at 48v means 400A-ish. Lots of current (and therefore copper).

100AH bank that supplies 400A, that's a 4C discharge, so would have to be LiFePo i'm guessing.


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max-salgado avatar image max-salgado commented ·

Thanks for the Thoughts Kai, I was thinking 20kW peak power output, and something more like 10kW continuous, although the C rating of discharge is something I have not yet considered, so thanks!

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JohnC avatar image
JohnC answered ·

Hi @Max Salgado

Perhaps step back for a moment and look at what you're asking here..

So using 10kW load at 48V. And let's say your genny is happy producing 6kW. But that's at 230V ac, and you need 48V dc. A little Easy II might manage 1700W of that, more charger would be needed to get much out of the genny.

You won't fit much useful solar on that boat, and that's subject to sun anyway.

And a 100Ah batt of any type won't pick up the difference for long.

But of course it depends on your intended usage. If you're just nosing into a berth for a few minutes under power then you might get by. But of course Murphy is waiting alongside.. the day you want 30 min into a strong wind might be one for regretting..

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jwfrary avatar image jwfrary commented ·

A DC generator would be worthwhile considering in this scenario, but either way the battery banks going to have to be big to deal with the amps required.

I think your going to find the easy solar a little on the small side for your install and it all being in one place can make a marine install a little tricky

Gut says you need a 5k multi or Quattro depending on if you go ac or dc genny

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jwfrary avatar image jwfrary jwfrary commented ·

Dc gens to look at, from fisher panda, polar powers product looks really nice and they do off the shelf at 48v. Engines a Volvo so easy for parts!

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max-salgado avatar image max-salgado commented ·

Thanks for the thoughts John, those are very good points. I will want to at least match the continuous output of the generator to make the most out of the system.

As far as batteries I am planning on making the banks expandable, so I can eventually get better range

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