Building my solar cat in Auckland, New Zealand

[JonathanCole]

I am finally getting to building my solar powered live-aboard catamaran. 52 feet by 25 feet, based on a Wharram Tehini sailing cat with canoe stern. I have attached a photo of this style of boat. It is not my boat but is exactly the platform that I will be building on. I have already purchased the Wharram cat and am transforming this boat in Auckland, New Zealand and would appreciate any recommendations as to good marine machine shops in the area. I am going to be using two inboard-outboard electric drives with a 48 volt, 60kWHr battery being charged by a 15kW solar array on the roof of the boat. Looking for experienced boat-building people in the Auckland area to help with the project.

[GAZZABO]

A 15kw solar array thats enough to fry everything! are you using electric cooker? We have 1.65kw to run our whole house here in Whangarei.Wots wrong with free wind?

[lazeyjack]

well i have not done the math, but 15 Kw would maybe cover a football field?
,

[masalai]

from here, http://www.energymatters.com.au/schott-24volt-160watt-pv-solar-module-p-709.html the panels are 1620 x 810 (50mm deep and weigh 15.5 kg each) and nominally produce 160 watts at 24v - - - so more than 94 panels would cover some 123.4 squaremetres and weigh in excess of 1457kg plus wiring, regulators, frames & assembly to hold it all together

Ahhhhm Huston, I think we have a little problem... they cost about AU$1700 each

[Guest625101138]

Sun roof 16m long by 8m wide for floating house. Using Sunpower panels like these:
http://www.energymatters.com.au/sunpower-230watts-grid-connect-solar-module-p-931.html
Could squeeze in 10 long by 10 wide to give total of 100 panels at 230W so 23kW is possible peak power. I believe Sanyo are even more efficient but hard to get hold of. Lets say happy with 15kW peak so only need 65 panels. There are also 315W panels but I do not know if these are readily available.

Hard to find US price on these. I expect about USD1300 per panel - say USD85k for panels. 48V twin drive system with batteries will cost around USD15k including controllers. So lets say all power systems round out at USD110k installed.

How does than compare with a couple of small diesels for propulsion, small diesel generator for light and power, mast with standing rigging (its a 16m boat) and sails with running rigging. Then you have to find a crew who can operate the gear each time you want to move the house boat.

Sounds feasible to me. Will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Keep us posted Jonathan. It will be a big challenge and I hope you find some competent resources.

Rick W.

[JonathanCole]

Heck Rick, You took the words right out of my mouth. The Sanyo's get 15.8 watts per square foot and are currently the most efficient panels with a multi-decade warranty on the market. 1000 square feet (20 x 50 feet) will get you there. The costs are quite a bit less because when you buy in quantity you get wholesale prices. I figure around US$80k will do the trick. This is certainly less than masts, sails, rigging, hardware, winches, etc for a 50 foot cat. And while it may be slower in a straight line race with a sailboat, since it does not have to tack it actually averages similar speeds over the long haul. Plus you have an enormous amount of energy at your disposal for live aboard amenities. I plan to have elaborate water making, recycling and purification systems as well as powered dessicating toilets and full household refrigeration. No fuel, no fumes, no noise no pollution. I think its worth a go. I am seriously looking for a good machine shop in Auckland to assist with this project.

[masalai]

Jonathan, over this side of the Pacific normal electrical stuff is 240v ac so if you plan to fit 110v ac appliances, maybe you should bring them from USA...

Things for solar-electric seem to be nearing viability... :D:D:D very pleasing - - I am looking forward to thin film application of titanium-oxide (not dioxide) derived solar-panels....

[Guest625101138]

Jonathan
Are you confident that you can get hold of the Sanyo panels? I will be interested to know the supplier and price if you do get them.

Sunpower were available in Australia earlier in the year but last time I checked in Melbourne they were sold out. I also think power density for the latest Sunpower is similar to Sanyo so they might be an option worth considering.

Rick

[lazeyjack]

Heck Rick, You took the words right out of my mouth. The Sanyo's get 15.8 watts per square foot and are currently the most efficient panels with a multi-decade warranty on the market. 1000 square feet (20 x 50 feet) will get you there. The costs are quite a bit less because when you buy in quantity you get wholesale prices. I figure around US$80k will do the trick. This is certainly less than masts, sails, rigging, hardware, winches, etc for a 50 foot cat. And while it may be slower in a straight line race with a sailboat, since it does not have to tack it actually averages similar speeds over the long haul. Plus you have an enormous amount of energy at your disposal for live aboard amenities. I plan to have elaborate water making, recycling and purification systems as well as powered dessicating toilets and full household refrigeration. No fuel, no fumes, no noise no pollution. I think its worth a go. I am seriously looking for a good machine shop in Auckland to assist with this project.
please define machine shop, I was a boatbuilder in Auckland, most of my life, , what exactly do you want this place to do, maybe then I can point you to somebody
google marine export group NZ or MAREX

[JonathanCole]

please define machine shop, I was a boatbuilder in Auckland, most of my life, , what exactly do you want this place to do, maybe then I can point you to somebody
google marine export group NZ or MAREX
Actually I am looking for people who can do welding and machining of original metal parts for my boat. In particular parts for the drive assemblies. I would preferably like to find a shop with experience in stainless steel fabrication. The ability to go from drawings to appropriately engineered and manufactured products would be necessary. I had found an outfit on the internet called CNC Machining in Auckland but was unable to email them with the address given.
http://www.mfgquote.com/profiles/CNCMachiningCoLtd-121437.html

[lazeyjack]

Actually I am looking for people who can do welding and machining of original metal parts for my boat. In particular parts for the drive assemblies. I would preferably like to find a shop with experience in stainless steel fabrication. The ability to go from drawings to appropriately engineered and manufactured products would be necessary. I had found an outfit on the internet called CNC Machining in Auckland but was unable to email them with the address given.
http://www.mfgquote.com/profiles/CNCMachiningCoLtd-121437.html
here, these guys are good, ask if KEN still owns it
http://www.precisionengltd.co.nz/

[JonathanCole]

here, these guys are good, ask if KEN still owns it
http://www.precisionengltd.co.nz/

Thanks Jack, who should I say sent me?

[JonathanCole]

By the way, I am also looking for boatworkers/builders, and a yard near the water in the Auckland area to assemble this project. Anyone interested can contact me at 2earthlight at gmail dot com.

[lazeyjack]

Thanks Jack, who should I say sent me?

tell ken Stuart Hearn
like all precision shops, they are not doing this work for free
there are no boat yards on water any more, except down by AC village ORAMS complex

[GAZZABO]

I would build here in Whangarei quite a few boatbuilders on the water and machine shops would cost a lot less this is where all the cruising yachts come for refits etc in the Pacific huuricane season only 2 hours to Auclkland and its not just cause I live here! Getting around Auck is hell.

[lazeyjack]

I would build here in Whangarei quite a few boatbuilders on the water and machine shops would cost a lot less this is where all the cruising yachts come for refits etc in the Pacific huuricane season only 2 hours to Auclkland and its not just cause I live here! Getting around Auck is hell.

gazz i agree!!

[marshmat]

Hey Jonathan,

Auckland is about as far from here as you can get without a spacecraft. Sorry I won't be dropping by to help ;)

I have heard good things about the Sanyo panels, although I have not used them. The Sunpower A300s are hard to come by- they are a great cell but production capacity is limited and demand is high. The A300 is the cell of choice in solar-car raycing right now, at least for those teams that don't like spending six-figure sums on spacecraft-grade GaAs. I'm not sure how the cells you're planning to use are encapsulated; in my experience the encapsulation is much more critical than the cell itself where longevity is concerned.

The Wharram cat strikes me as a great platform for this kind of conversion. The designer might consider it a bit of a travesty to chop down the mast, but I really can't think of a better stock hull to work from. (Of course, if building from scratch, one could optimize differently.)

[Guest625101138]

Matt
Have you seen any prices on Sunpower A300.

What do the 200W panels cost in North America? It is hard to find prices for Sunpower there.

Rick W

[marshmat]

Last I checked (mid 2007) A300s were around $10-$12 per watt, if you can find them. Maximum warranty on their assembled panels is 25 years. Solar car teams and other special applications can get the bare cells in custom-size panels with SunKat encapsulation (they don't sell the unencapsulated cells individually). The SunKat laminate is getting pretty close (but not quite) to Gochermann quality. For your boat though I think you'd be looking at assembled, tempered-glass panels. Sunpower does sell these for commercial applications, http://www.sunpowercorp.com/Products-and-Services/Commercial-Solar-Panels.aspx and you would probably be able to get your hands on some for a boat if you asked nicely.

[JonathanCole]

I would build here in Whangarei quite a few boatbuilders on the water and machine shops would cost a lot less this is where all the cruising yachts come for refits etc in the Pacific huuricane season only 2 hours to Auclkland and its not just cause I live here! Getting around Auck is hell.

Hi Gazzabo, Are you in a position to recommend any boatbuilders or machine shops in Whangerei? Whangerei is probably better than Auckland if costs are advantageous. Of course I would have to figure out how to get a couple of 52 foot catamaran hulls to Whangarei. Any ideas on that?

[JonathanCole]

Hey Jonathan,

Auckland is about as far from here as you can get without a spacecraft. Sorry I won't be dropping by to help ;)

The Wharram cat strikes me as a great platform for this kind of conversion. The designer might consider it a bit of a travesty to chop down the mast, but I really can't think of a better stock hull to work from. (Of course, if building from scratch, one could optimize differently.)

Hi Matt,

Being in the southern hemisphere NZ is about as far away from all the trouble of the industrial revolution as you can get, too. Clean water and air and no traffic jams (most of the time). Only a 9 hour flight from Hawaii.

Don't have to chop down the mast on my Wharram. It never had one. The hulls were built, and then the original owner passed on to the great ocean in the sky where I hope he is looking down on this project with amusement and maybe even approval. It was the perfect platform for me because I could afford it and it is exactly the right length and width for the sweet spot of a solar cat. Greater than 100 sq. meters of deck/roof space.

Jonathan

[juiceclark]

Matt,
Thanks for that link to SunPower Corp. I think I'm going to have my artist draw a couple panels into the hardtop on our sportfish. Having 400 watts on a clear, Florida day for not that much $$ seems like a no-brainer. The 25 year warranty doesn't hurt either. Of course, if the aluminum frame holds-up for 25 years on the sea I'll eat my shorts.

I went to the big IBEX boatbuilder's show in Miami on Monday and there was not one booth for solar panels. Seems if somebody wants to make a few bucks they'd be there selling solar solutions to boatbuilders?!

[JonathanCole]

I would build here in Whangarei quite a few boatbuilders on the water and machine shops would cost a lot less this is where all the cruising yachts come for refits etc in the Pacific huuricane season only 2 hours to Auclkland and its not just cause I live here! Getting around Auck is hell.

Hi GAZ,

Found a couple of promising looking marine machine shops in Whangarei. Thanks for the tip. Do you have any idea about how I could go about locating a yard to rent close enough to the water to launch from? Probably need at least 500 square meters. I will also be looking for assistants on the project. How is the labor market in Whangarei?

Jonathan