Marine Solar Panels

Solar panels for boats and RVs have to handle salt air, vibration, shade from rigging and tight mounting space. This collection brings together rigid aluminum-frame panels from SLD Tech (formerly Solarland), Renogy, REC, Meyer Burger, Heliene and Canadian Solar; semi-flexible and walk-on marine solar panels from Solara and Solbian; Merlin Solar and Xantrex flexible panels; and bifacial panels from Lumera, from 5W up to 450W in 6V, 12V and 24V versions.

How to choose marine solar panels

• Mounting location: arch, bimini, hardtop, deck or RV roof decides size, weight and whether a flexible panel is needed.
• Watts and voltage: add up daily energy use, then size the array and match panel voltage to your charge controller.
• Rigid or flexible: rigid panels run cooler and are cheaper per watt; flexible panels are lighter and follow curved surfaces.
• Shading: panels with independent strings or several smaller panels cope better with shadows from masts and booms.

What are the best marine solar panels?

There is no single best panel. For walk-on decks and curved biminis, Solbian and Solara semi-flexible panels are popular; for arches and hardtops, rigid panels give the most watts for the money. Compare sizes and form factors in our Solar Panel Index.

Do I need a charge controller?

Yes. Every solar panel for boats needs a charge controller between the panel and the battery. See the solar panel guide for sizing basics.

How are solar panels shipped?

Solar panels ship by pallet freight to prevent damage in transit, so they cannot go by standard parcel carrier.

Not sure which cell type or size fits your boat? Our guide to the best marine solar panels shows how to size a system from your daily energy use.

For lightweight flexible panels that follow a curved bimini or hardtop, see our Merlin solar panels.

Thin, lightweight Solbian solar panels from Italy are designed for curved decks, cabin tops and biminis.

For a rigid 12V option, see the Renogy 200 watt 12 volt monocrystalline solar panel.

Where you mount marine solar panels decides what to buy. A stern arch or hardtop takes rigid aluminum-frame panels such as the SLD Tech 200W 12V, which run cooler and give the most watts per dollar. A bimini, dodger or curved cabin top calls for a thin laminate such as the Solbian SR 240, which uses 24% efficient HIT cells and can be removed when canvas is folded. Walk-on decks suit Solara panels with a backing plate. Because masts and booms cast moving shadows, several smaller panels on separate MPPT controllers usually outperform one large panel on a sailboat.

Not sure which cell type or mounting suits you? Our guide to solar panels for boats covers shading, sizing and controllers.

For an all-black heterojunction module made in Germany, see Meyer Burger solar panels at 385W.

Need a panel for a bimini or curved deck? See our flexible marine solar panels.