Impacts of the Form Design and Operational Factors on the Energy Consumption of a Solar-Powered Boat: A System Dynamics Approach

Abstract

This research paper aims to design a solar-powered boat and to analyze the effects of environmental and form-related factors on power consumption and battery duration by utilizing a system dynamics approach-based simulation. The boat form is designed as the planing hull and its hull resistance analysis was ensured in Maxsurf package program. PV panels having 548 W power output, and two battery packs with 4660 Wh capacity were placed on the hull body to employ an electrical motor having a 10 kW nominal power output. Two MPPTs were implemented in the system to increase solar system efficiency. The relationships between all system components were modeled in Vensim software to observe battery endurance changes under different conditions. Results demonstrated that the ideal vessel speed is calculated to be around 7 knots with roughly 8 hours of battery duration for the designed boat. 40% state of charge is a critical level for sailing, because 1.63 hours of cruising duration can be provided at 40% level while the speed is kept at 5 m/s (9.72 knots). Indeed, boat’s rising trim angle shorten the battery discharge time, thus navigation by no trim angle is the most effective usage for the vessel.