3 ms·
Yeah - power does seem a more likely constraint when you put it that way.
by dandelany 10y ago
Yeah - power does seem a more likely constraint when you put it that way.
- sathackr 10y agoPhoto of the buoy http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/images/stations/42089.jpg http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/images/stations/42089.jpg Looks like at most 50 watt solar panels, probably closer to 25 watts. It probably has 4 of them but only 2 can make any appreciable amount of power at a time. Not much power at all considering the instrumentation and lighting load(I believe most are lit at night for collision avoidance) and that it has to power the buoy and recharge the batteries during the day. I considered why they wouldn't put larger panels/batteries -- cost, which, compared to what I would think is the overall cost, would be minimal. Wind loading is another story -- It looks fairly streamlined. Larger panels would significantly increase the wind load, and they already have a fair bit of trouble keeping them attached in storms(though more likely due to the waves).