most of my boat is 24V. That keeps wiring sizes and voltage drops down. There is always some stuff which isn't available 24V (like the engine...), so there is also a 12V panel. The 12V panel is fed by a 24-12V converter, the engine and its start battery by another, and the ITR heating system by a third. All of the charge systems on board are 24v: the original Volvo alternator was replaced by a 24V Balmar, the Electrodyne was added, the Mastervolt 100A @ 24V shore charger, and the 420W solar array controller. (As an aside, it turns out that you cannot suck enough juice through a typical 30A breaker to charge at 100A, I had to turn it down to 80.) The battery is eight 6V Lifelines, arranged as two banks of 220 Ah 24V batteries, but normally paralleled. Plus a 12V engine start battery. All spectacularly wired up by two guys at Bruckmann's.

The Electrodyne is an interesting alternator, brushless fluxgate type. The only moving part is a serrated steel wheel (and the shaft & fan). No brushes or sliding rings, no moving windings at all, no electricity in the rotor. Recommended service is to re-grease the bearings at 20,000 hours operation! It weighs 93 lbs by itself. This high output one actually has two alternators inside the case mounted back-to-back. It will produce 100 amps at about 1400 shaft rpm, important to me because it is driven from the engine damper pulley with a driveshaft at engine rpm. I have to throttle up to 1700-1800 rpm to get a good bulk charge, if I'm motoring I cruise at around 1900-2000 anyway. The only thing I don't like about it is it makes an audible whining noise when its powered. And it was a bit pricey. I have a switch to select between activating the regulator for the Balmar or the one for Electrodyne, I turn off the Electrodyne unless I need it.

I left room in the engine compartment for a genset, thinking either of the Polar or a Panda. However the price of those things, and the extra maintenance, got me to thinking of an alternative. The Panda was quoted at around $10K (plus installation which could add another $5K) and pushed by the sales person "to save your expensive propulsion engine". Said propulsion engine cost somewhat less, including the saildrive.