No more smoke on the water
Lightweight boats can also be powered in a clean way by fuel cells.
The LEMO Group sponsors two engineering student teams who, after years of solar projects, are now exploring the full potential of this technology, pushing back the boundaries of innovation. The two teams know each other since they have both been participating in the most important meeting dedicated to clean navigation : the
Monaco Solar and Energy Boat Challenge. The annual competition brings together about fifty teams from 25 countries.
Técnico Solar Boat, hailing from Instituto Superior Técnico (Portugal),started creating and developing a hydrogen boat as well as its own electrolyser in 2019. In 2021, they completed their first catamaran prototype (equipped with a 5 kW fuel cell). Their hydrogen system won two Innovation Prizes (in 2020 and 2023) at the Monaco
Challenge.
Swiss Solar Boat team began testing a fuel cell on their asymmetrical “ Dahu ” (as featured in CONNECTED 17) just this year. The objective of the Swiss team is to enter the race with a hybrid hydrogen-solar boat in 2025.
There is a lot of hydrogen in water. Soon there will also be more hydrogen on the water.
