Newbie trying to design (and install...) solar system on a houseboat

[jackinkeywest]

New to the group, been studying solar system designs and have read LOTS of forum posts. Thanks to all the contributors who have shared their knowledge so others like me can LEARN.

My brother recently purchased a 40' houseboat and is currently living on the hook in Key West, FL near our home. I am trying to help him design and install a solar system for his new home since he is a full-timer living onboard his boat AND most importantly, I want to get my two (2) Honda eu2000i generators back from him before he becomes totally dependent on them!

I have calculated his AC/DC electrical requirement as follows:

237 Amp hrs per day
710 watts of solar panel output
474 Amp hrs of battery storage @ 50% DOD

Basically these calculations include his fridge (needs 24/7 power), small portable ice maker, 700-watt microwave (10-15 mins p/day), lights, TV, fan, and stereo. He has two rooftop A/C units (15KBTU and a 13.5KBTU) but they will definitely require a generator to power them up....

Questions:

1. Type of panels: mono or poly
2. Will three (3) 250-watt panels suffice
3. 12 or 24 volt system for the panels and batteries
4. Battery bank size and type batteries recommended (golf cart, deep cycle marine, etc.)
5. Is a 60A MPPT controller overkill
6. Will a 2000-watt PSW inverter be sufficient.

I've built and flown three different experimental/homebuilt aircraft so I thought designing a solar system for dear Brother would be a piece of cake. Building and flying airplanes is easier.

Thanks in advance for any advice you may provide.

Jack in Key West

[Mike90250]

A fridge AND portable ice maker ?

You really need to have him throw a kill-a-watt meter on the stuff, run it for a week, and start collecting Kwh usage for a week at a time. Then when you have some target numbers, you can start designing around that. Otherwise, you either over build a system ($$$) or under build it and destroy batteries and have blackouts.