Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Does anyone know of any down-side to flexible solar panels?

Mine would be mounted on a thing that floats and wobbles a bit, which is why I'm thinking of getting rid of the inflexible glass ones.

Other than the fact that they cost more, is there any downside? They seem to be pretty efficient (not that that really matters) but weigh around a quarter of the normal rigid glass ones.

I don't know, but I still love the things you do and say, buddy. "Wobbles a bit," hahaha

Boss Boss now excuse me, but dont you have bits that wobble a bit. I know one part of me I (used to) like see wobbling but a big gut wobbles now and hides the former.....

A couple of years ago during my research to find suitable light weight solar panels for the aft of the catamaran I'm building I found that the light weight panels available were for either foldable for camping, smooth surfaced for caravan roofs etc were they are not stooden on, and textured for soft shoed pedestrian traffic like on the decks of boats.
As technology progressed the textured ones improved to equal the performance of the smooth ones with the benefit of better surface protection and over all strength while being flexible. I've been to the shop and had a feel of the wobbly and other interesting things.
https://www.solar4rvs.com.au/solar-panels/

Not an expert, but flexible solar panels are less efficient when compared to the classic ones. Overall, these panels are opted for its portability and minimal use.

The ones I was looking at on eBay were actually smaller than my existing rigid ones with the same 180w output. Perhaps everything is better now.

I need them to be flexible because they will power my boat and I'm worried about the twist cracking them. When the boats not on the water, it will power my aquaponics system.

I purchased these 4 panels early August. When not in use they'll be stored out of the sun. I plan on sticking them to a folding aluminium frame supported overhead at the rear of the boat. They weigh just 2.1 Kg each.

Is each panel 120w or each half?

Adam

Each panel and they measure 1350 x 540 x 3 mm.

Main downside is just the cost. Rigid are better value.

-K98

Yeah, but there's too much flex in my boat.

When my friend and I were out in perfect sailing weather, I was on the trapeze, and we were hooting along. I shifted my weight a little too far forward and we stuck the nose into a wave and broke the fibreglass where it joined the aluminum cross beams to the hulls. Now it's an electric fishing barge, and a little more wobbly than it used to be.

Youth can do that

I also enjoyed a lasting (30 year so far, but I'm still confident it will fade in time) bit of hip pain, as when I came back from being launched all the way up to the sky (no really - the entire way up to the sky), it turns out I inevitably had to come back, where I discovered the sharp bit of the boat at the front trying to get all up into my hip bones.

And that, kids, is why we shouldn't park boats under very high swings in our yards, but it's also why you should do adventurous stuff. It remains one of my favorite days of my life.

All the way up to the sky.

Really.

That's quite a long way.

Youth can do that.

Sounds like a small cat under 16' BullwinkleII.

Weight is also an issue as the conventional panels can weigh 6 times as much. Its mainly the glass and frame the two things that give them longer performance life.

I've got a Mosquito Mk2 16' ex-racing cat and as I got older and less flexible I installed wing seats now they're fun to trap off until it cartwheels!

It's a 4.3m Sundance, so 14 foot long

Not a lot of real estate to grow veggies, and live on for a 4000km journey

But man, this trip is taking a lot to put together.

I need Elon Musk and a team of personal assistants