DIY Rigid solar panels are suitable suitable for marine solutions or any outdoor solution for that matter. These panels are best suited to applications where you have a hard connection point for the panel to be mounted.
Check out our resources on Solar panels for boats
Rigid solar panels
Rigid solar panels are a suitable choice for a more permanent installation. Rigid solar panels can be mounted on solid arches as well as the push-pit and set up to flip into place or flip down out of the way. Rigid solar panels also tend to be a little cheaper than flexible solar panels however this cost gap has come down considerably in recent years.
Fitting rigid solar panels can require a little more mechanical finesse than stringing flexible solar panels on your bimini however is still well within the grasp of the DIY fraternity and definitely within the capabilities of a good boat captain. Check out the related articles on cables and connectors for a better view on how the whole system hooks up.
Don’t miss the section on MPPT charge controllers as a good charge controller will make a big difference to the effectiveness of your solar array.
Check out our DIY flexible solar panels articles for panels for your project.
Check out our MPPT Solar charge controllers page for information about charge controllers for your project.
Also check out our DIY Solar cables and connectors page for all you need to connect up your solar project.