On 22 May astronaut André Kuipers will christen the TU Delft Solar Boat Team’s new solar boat. The boat is unique by applying a simple Dutch principle: cycling.
The boat took a year to build and is now ready for its first official trip in the waters of Delft. 32 TU Delft students cooperated to build the most advanced solar boat in existence to compete at the DONG Energy Solar Challenge, de World Cup For Solar Powered Boats.
Cycling Principle
The boat uses the cycling principle. The solar boat does not have a traditional rudder at the rear, but steers by twisting the forward wing. This system keeps the boat stable as the wings lift the boat from the water.
To prevent the boat from tipping over, the ‘driver’ compensates the boat movements by steering, just like riding a bike. Sailing this way allows for extremely small wings and a water resistance comparable to a human hand in the water. This combined with a weight smaller than 100 kg, gives the boat a top speed of 40 to 45 km an hour.
With this speed, the team hopes to become world champion at the DONG Energy Solar Challenge, which takes place 28 June to 5 July 2014. The christening takes place 22 May at Oostpoort, Delft, the Netherlands.
In April, SWZ Maritime published an extensive article on the new TU Delft Solar Boat. If you are a subscriber or Nautilus/KNVTS member, you can read the article here.
Picture: Impression of the Solar Boat from the cover of SWZ Maritime's April issue.
