Social Impact
By removing the burden of fuel costs, solar-powered boats can make fishing more affordable and reliable, directly supporting the livelihoods of local communities along Lake Tanganyika.
Training students and young engineers to design, build, and maintain these systems equips them with valuable technical skills and creates pathways to employment.
At the same time, demonstrating solar technology in a visible and practical way helps inspire wider adoption of renewable energy.
How it Works
The solar boat system can be split into two subsystems: Energy generation (upstream of the battery) and Energy consumption (downstream of the battery)
The energy generation system comprises of two components, solar panels and a charge controller to protect the battery from over charging
The energy consumption system also comprises of two components the motor which drives the boat through the water, and the motor controller, used to control motor speed.
If you couldn't tell that was written by an engineer that really likes solar boats
Previous Experience and Design Work
SoleX Solar Boat
The knowledge behind this project is largely from time at SoleX, a solar powered racing boat that we designed, built, tested and raced. Although it serves a completely different purpose than the Solar Boat Burundi project, the concept remains exactly the same.
The driving motivation behind this project is that it is a fantastic learning experience for students, even if it doesn't work out the way we hope, people will go away with new skills, knowledge and teamwork skills.
An Engineer at SoleX is currently carrying out a dissertation on Solar Boat Burundi design parameters.
Concept CAD Design
A number of concept CAD designs have been carried out to start planning the project costs and schedule.
View the CAD model HERE
Sourcing parts locally
Work is now being carried out to find suitable motors and batteries for a bench test.