Chasing the sun - student engineers enter Europe’s only solar powered boat race

Imperial’s Solar Spirit team design and build solar powered boat - News

Monday 12 March 2007
By Naomi Weston

Mechanical engineering students from Imperial College London will make up the only UK team in an international solar powered boat race taking place in July 2008.

The team of undergraduates will design, make and test the solar powered boat, called Solar Spirit, to compete in the Frisian Solar Challenge in the Netherlands, the only solar powered boat race in Europe. Made of glass fibre, the one man boat will be powered by 175W five solar panels and will be 6 metres in length. Currently the students have finished the design and are working on the manufacture.

The boat will be powered by an electric outboard motor that will source its power from a combination of solar and battery power through the course of the challenge depending on the light conditions and racing strategy. The batteries will be charged using power from the solar panels but not necessarily during the racing phase of the day. The solar panels are capable of generating electricity in ambient conditions with more energy being generated when the sun is brightest.

The competition is open to teams from institutes of higher education, the business community and members of the public. The race is 220km, lasts six days and runs through the Frisian cities of the Netherlands, via canals and lakes.

Thomas Middleditch, team leader on the project, says: "As a group we are keen to promote green technologies. We are very excited that we are the only UK team entering. We are looking forward to representing Imperial, London and the UK at this important international event."

The Team’s tutor Dr Shaun Crofton, from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, says: "There are many challenges for engineering and engineers in the future and this project encompasses the most pressing. This group have risen to the challenge and I hope and am certain that they will prove worthy challengers and bring some innovation to the race."

The four students taking part are Thomas Middleditch, Peter Huthwaite, Chris Burrows and Oliver Carson.

The race is held biennially, the first ever event having taken place in July 2006. For more information about Solar Spirit please visit the website www.solarspirit.co.uk