#Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge

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Safeguarding our ecosystem through sustainable yachting

The 6th edition of the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge culminated this past Saturday, July 6, 2019, organized by the Yacht Club of Monaco (YCM), in partnership with the International Power Boating Federation (UIM) and Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. Thirty-four teams representing 14 nationalities brought the future of boating on the spotlight, gathering researchers, academics, engineering students and professionals working in the yachting and energy fields. It was the perfect opportunity to highlight and put into practice solutions for sustainable yachting, the result of years of Research & Development.

Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge 2019 organized by the YCM@Carlo Borlenghi

Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge competition passing by the Oceanographic Museum @Studio Borlenghi, YCM

An event that follows the vision of the YCM President Prince Albert II, who was present during the competition to support the participants: “Training and educating our young people, their development, creativity, awareness and involvement are the guarantors of a better future (…). Let us give them a chance, give them all the tools they need to succeed and above all put our trust in them.”

(Photo: Prince Albert II at the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge Prize Ceremony 2019@CarloBorlenghi) 

Prototypes put to the test

It was a fierce competition in all the class races, be it the Solar, Offshore or Energy classes. The solar group, present since the beginning, was the best represented with 19 participants, as the Dutch continue to sweep the board with victories for New Nexus (Open Class) and Sunflare (A Class). For the first time since the event was launched in 2014, the solar fleet managed a three- hour non-stop race covering nearly 20nm on the sea, evidence of the progress achieved.

In the Offshore Class, the battle for top spots was between students in the TU Delft Solar Boat Team and yachting professionals in the Vita Yachts team. The Scots won the 16nm endurance race, while tomorrow’s engineers from the Netherlands clinched victory in the 32nm Long Race with a focus on maintaining their machine’s range not speed.

Launched only last year, the Energy Class proved very popular with seven competitors responding to a challenge to design the most powerful and durable propulsion system for a standard catamaran hull supplied by the YCM. Victory went to the French Wave ESTACA Team, who dominated all the contests – endurance race, slalom and match race.

Solar boats at the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge 2019@CarloBorlenghi_BD

Anvera E Lab boat @Johnny Cecotto

E Racing Team 05 @Carlo Borlenghi_BD

Culmination of the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge 2019 at the YCM@CarloBorlenghi_BD

Winners of the 2019 Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge

The prize ceremony rewarded both the competition winners on the water and the Tech Talk presentations.

Energy Class – Wave ESTACA, France

Offshore Class, Long Race – TU Delfi Solar Boat Team, The Netherlands

Offshore Class, Endurance Race – VITA Yachts, Scotland

 Solar Open Class – New Nexus, The Netherlands

Solare A-Class – Sunflare, The Netherlands

Speed Record– Anvera ELab, Italy – 74.49 km/h, beating the previous record set in 2016 of 49.10 km/h

Innovation Prize – SBM Offshore Monaco

Best Tech Talk Prize – Solar Boat Twente, The Netherlands

Communication Prize – HydroVinci, France

Spirit Prize – Team Indonesia

In the name of innovation

Over 400 competitors, exhibitors and speakers, and an estimated thousand visitors over the four days, highlighting the importance of sharing expertise and lessons learned, a brainstorming of ideas at the heart of any successful innovation. As YCM General Secretary Bernard d’Alessandri explains: “The Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge is contributing to yachting’s future. Through this event, and as part of the project to make Monaco a yachting capital, the Principality is providing a crossroads for experiments of the industry, engineers, boatyards, students and owners in their bid to meet the energy and environmental challenges facing the nautical sector.”

While hydrogen appears set to become an effective choice alternative, solar energy has a role to play, while hybrid solutions also prove their value as evidenced by SBM Offshore, whose largest location is in Monaco employing around 900 people. Supported by the whole company, their thermo-electric project using hydrogen as the energy source was one of the novelties of this edition and has a promising future: heat generated by the fuel cell is deployed in an optimal way to supply the battery that is approaching a record 60% efficiency. The prototype was awarded the Credit Suisse Innovation Prize.

A dozen teams already signed up in the Energy category for 2020, including one from the Visun Royal Yacht Club in China, no doubt their prototype will face tougher competition.

For information on the next edition visit: www.mcsebc.org 

Source of employment

Organizers were also delighted by the yachting industry’s involvement, such as the German boatyard Nobiskrug participating for the first time. The company has already promised to return next year and was able to meet potential employees. It was the same for Torqeedo, which supplied a fleet of electric tenders for the event, and Energy Observer who identified profiles of engineers. In total, around 20 young people may have found employment through this event, another concrete result, this time for the ‘Job Dating’ initiative launched this year by the YCM, to be continued all year round.

Cross-pollination to advance further

The Tech Talks give teams an opportunity to present their project, outline their approach, and expose problems and their solutions. It is a source of inspiration where everybody benefits from each other’s experience to continue improving their prototype. Maybe one day they will be here as an exhibitor, like the start-up FinX with its electric biomimetic membrane, based on the way fish use their fins to swim, and designed to replace boat propellers.

Furthermore, the presentation given by Professor Paolo Schinto from the Politecnico di Milano University made a big impression, as his team is working on the reuse and recycling of Lithium-Ion batteries. According to the Professor, within just over five years improvements in the cost of production and battery life combined will make electric vehicles more economical than traditional fossil fuel, whether the energy converted into electricity is reusable or not.

Yacht Club of Monaco at the cutting edge

The YCM confronts challenges head on, announcing the launching of its future Zero Emission Committee Boatfor all regattas and events they organize year round. A 100% eco-friendly catamaran, has been designed by naval architect Espen Oeino, with engineering by Dario Calzavara (Terra Modena) who contributed to the design of the Lanéva prototype in this competition. This silent boat with no carbon emissions has been designed with a second task in mind: whale watching off the Principality.

Today’s Quote

“I have been very passionate about renewable energy for many years, particularly solar energy and its capacity to bring abundant, clean, sustainable energy to millions around the globe.”  Richard Branson

Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge testing cleaning propulsion alternatives Safeguarding our ecosystem through sustainable yachting The 6th edition of the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge culminated this past Saturday, July 6, 2019, organized by the Yacht Club of Monaco (YCM), in partnership with the…

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Embracing all clean-energy sources to protect our ecosystem

Yesterday, Thursday, July 12, 2018 was the opening ceremony of the 5thedition of the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge that runs from July 12-14, dedicated to promote and optimize innovations in propulsion systems, with this year expanding from the solar-powered boat to embrace all clean-energy sources. Bernard D’Alessandri, General Secretary of the Yacht Club of Monaco introduced H.E. Serge Telle, Minister of State of Monaco, who gave a brief presentation, followed by Bernard Fautrier of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and Marco Casiraghi, who is at the initiative of this project, accompanied by other personalities and supporters.

Marco Casiraghi said: “The aim of this project is to highlight the enormous potential of our young engineers supported by the shipyards. We have a common goal, which is to work together to build the leisure boats of tomorrow.” 

HE Serge Telle with Marco Casiraghi, Bernard Fautrier, Bernard D’Alessandri and other personalities during the opening Ceremony of the Solar Boat and Energy Challenge 2018 – YCM @Celina

HE Serge Telle, Bernard Fautrier and Marco Casiraghi at YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Organized by the Yacht Club of Monaco in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Hydros Foundation and International Power Boating Federation (UIM), this competition is unique in the world, giving young engineers an opportunity to reinvent boating to meet future energy and environmental imperatives. The 30 teams with 400 participants include students from colleges and universities, engineers and people from other industries. The boats are grouped in three categories: Solar Class with 21 teams, 6 nations; Offshore Class with 5 boats doing a round trip Monaco-Ventimiglia, or 16 nm; and new this year the Energy Class.

For the new Energy Class category the Yacht Club of Monaco, in collaboration with the Hydros Foundation arranged the construction of five identical catamaran hulls in Dubai. “These teams of college Engineering students and industrials must on their own assemble the cockpit and install a proper propulsion system,”explained Bernard D’Alessandri, YCM General Secretary. The five sources of clean energy they could choose from are: electricity, hydrogen, comprised air, recyclable waste and biosourced gas.

“The purpose of this event is to bring new solutions and compare them. You need to know that the internal combustion engine in terms of pure propulsion gets only 30% out of the energy contained in 1 litre of fuel, compared to a fuel cell that attains about 80%. So why aren’t we seeing more fuel cells and new more efficient systems than the combustion engine?” asks Jérémie Lagarrigue, General Manager of Hydros Efficiency and organiser of the Hydrocontest in Saint-Tropez, first student competition dedicated to maritime energy (working on hulls).

The cutting edge participating teams

During the opening ceremony the different teams took the stage to introduce themselves.

Solar Class

AGH Solar Boat Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Antwerp Maritime Academy YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

HAN Solarboat YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

HZ Solarboat Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Skipper Solar Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Solar Team Sneek YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

VHL-Nordwin Zonne Boat Team

Tecnico Solar Boat YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

BME Solar Boat Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

CLAFIS Victron Energy Solar Boat Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

DB-20 Racing Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Dutch Solar Boat YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Engineers of Innovation YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

NHL Solarbaotteam YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Solar Boat Twente YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

TU Delft Solar Boat Team YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Team Clean Mobility Solar YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Sunderbird YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Offshore Race heads to Italy

Another edition, another destination for the offshore race, which this year heads to Ventimiglia in Italy. Boats must comply with YCM Offshore Class rules, which means being able to take three people and comply with technical specifications defined with the UIM. Five teams are all set to do this 16 nautical mile race (there and back).

“The aim is to highlight the enormous potential of our young engineers supported by the shipyards. We have a common goal, which is to work together to build the leisure boats of tomorrow,” explains Marco Casiraghi, himself an engineer and the man behind the project. The two harbours are set to be interconnected soon. Meanwhile this race serves as a big test for boats, close to commercialization, with an eco-responsible propulsion on the sea.

Offshore Class – Ernesto Riva Innovation YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Offshore Class – T5 Powered by Terra Modena YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Offshore Class, Politecnico Milano YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Featuring a few Solar Boats

Antwerp Maritime Academy YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

SUNFLARE – YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Solar Team Sneek YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

ROCvA Maryland YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Dutch Solar Boat YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Plastic Odyssey

Find new more sustainable solutions and apply them to boats is the challenge that is inspiring a new generation like Bob Vrignaud, responsible for R&D and Simon Bernard, co-founder of Plastic Odyssey, a 25m catamaran powered by plastic waste.

It is a concept that became obvious faced with the urgency of the situation, one where, they explain that, “every minute plastic waste the equivalent of the weight of three elephants is dumped into the oceans.” Plastic Odyssey is a round the world expedition on a laboratory boat, totally autonomous thanks to plastic, the waste we collect at each port of call being recycled on board. The goal of this project is not to cleanup the oceans, already widely polluted by plastic. Indeed, once it is in the sea, it’s too late: only 1% of plastic waste floats to the surface, with the remaining 99% breaking-down into micro-particles and carpets the seabed. The goal is to demonstrate that it is too valuable to end up in the ocean.”

Bob Vrignaud of Plastic Odyssey – YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Plastic Odyssey, Incubator for the propulsion of tomorrow YCM 2018@CelinaLafuentedeLavotha

Experience the thrill of the event

Bertrand Piccard, the man behind Solar Impulse, the first fuel-less zero-emissions plane with limitless autonomy in which he flew round the world, agreed to sponsor this fifth edition. “I’m delighted to see what can be achieved with clean energy sources. These boats can compete in races full of suspense and all without any noise or pollution. It really is something that needs to be encouraged.”

  World’s largest civilian drone


A showcase for new technology after Planet Solar in 2014, the 2018 Solar & Energy Boat Challenge hosts the oceanic drone Sphyrna, the largest civilian surface drone in the world (17m), with an electric motor powered by solar, wind and tidal energy. It is here on a mission this summer to help assess noise disturbance on cetaceans in the Pelagos Sanctuary, supervised by Professor Hervé Glotin from Toulon University and François Sarano, former scientific advisor to Captain Cousteau and member of the YCM’s Explorers Club.

Exchanging ideas to build a clean future for yachting

It is just over a century since the first powerboat meetings were held in Monaco, attracting the world’s industrialists to see the latest innovations in internal combustion engine technology. Today, the Principality continues a long tradition as a laboratory for progress, focused today on clean energy sources. For the 5thedition, all participants are invited to exchange ideas at daily Tech Talks (see program) in the format of round tables and present their ideas on Open Source. A jury of specialists, including members of SMEG (Société Monégasque de l’Electricité et du Gaz) like Anthony Dupont, responsible for controlling energy use, and Sales Director Pierfranck Pelacchi, will present a special innovation prize at the closing ceremony on July 14.

After its success last year, UIM (International Powerboating Federation) will be holding its international workshop once again, focused on the environment and watersports. Speakers include representatives from authorities and international sports federations who will discuss challenges facing the application of sustainable energy sources for motorboats.

Program

The Solar & Energy Boat Challenge Village will be open to the public, with a host of activities going on in the paddocks where everybody is welcome to get close to the action.

Today’s Quote 

“Solar power, wind power, the way forward is to collaborate with nature – it’s the only way we are going to get to the other end of the 21stcentury.”Bjork

Solar & Energy Boat Challenge – Monaco sails into the future riding on clean energy Embracing all clean-energy sources to protect our ecosystem Yesterday, Thursday, July 12, 2018 was the opening ceremony of the 5thedition of the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge that runs from July 12-14, dedicated to promote and optimize innovations in propulsion systems, with this year expanding from the solar-powered boat to embrace all clean-energy sources.