International Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology (IJEET)

Volume 7, Issue 6, Nov–Dec, 2016, pp.01–10, Article ID: IJEET_07_06_001

Available online at
http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/issues.asp?JType=IJEET&VType=7&IType=6
ISSN Print: 0976-6545 and ISSN Online: 0976-6553
Journal Impact Factor (2016): 8.1891 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com
© IAEME Publication

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF SOLAR BOAT

Edwina G. Rodrigues
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering Perumon/CUSAT, India

Bindu S. J.
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering Perumon/CUSAT, India,

Viji Chandran
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, College of Engineering Perumon/CUSAT, India,

ABSTRACT
The design and initial testing of a solar powered fishing boat are presented. The concept vessel
is a 4.2-m length overall (LOA) mono hull keel boat powered by an efficient DC-DC interleaved
boost converter. The effective utilization of solar insolation is ensured by using MPPT. The paper
will also discuss the details about the ship shape design, propulsion system, electrical section
design etc., taking in account of minimum weight of the boat and minimum price of fabrication. The
boat is designed to meet the requirements of fishermen in the backwaters.
Key words: Backwaters, IBC- Interleaved Boost Converter, Keel, Mono hull, MPPT- Maximum
Power Point Tracking
Cite this Article: Edwina G. Rodrigues, Bindu S. J and Viji Chandran, Design and Fabrication of
Solar Boat. International Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology, 7(6), 2016, pp. 01–10.
http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/issues.asp?JType=IJEET&VType=7&IType=6

1. INTRODUCTION
The rapidly diminishing fossil fuel reserves are, today, one of the biggest challenges facing the planet. In
order to secure the future for ourselves and generations to follow, it is widely accepted that we must act
now to reduce energy consumption and substantially cut greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide. For
many years, fossil fuel has been the primary source of energy. However, there is a limited supply of these
fuels on Earth and they are being used much more rapidly than they are being created. Eventually, they
will run out. In addition, because of safety concerns and waste disposal problems, renewable energy is
definitely the solution since such technology is “clean” or “green” because they produce few if any,
pollutants. The world trend nowadays is to find a clean source of energy. The most effective and harmless
energy source is probably solar energy, which for many applications is so technically straight forward to
use. In addition, because of safety concerns and waste disposal problems, renewable energy is definitely
the solution. As the cheapest way of transportation, the maritime sector has great significance in the large
scale implementation of renewable energy technologies. The paramount reduction of the pollutions caused
by the fossil fuel powered vessels can be achieved by this. The spot of our consideration is Ashtamudi
lake, from which endangered species like “syzygium travancocicum” is enlisted by IUCN. Thus the

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 1 editor@iaeme.com
 Edwina G. Rodrigues, Bindu S. J and Viji Chandran

introduction of a solar powered boat gains more ecological importance. With annual average irradiation of
6kwh/m2a solar boat has great potential over this area.
[1] The development of a methodology of simple calculation, step by step, for solar boat is shown here,
taking in account the use of clean energy. The major factors under consideration includes boatweight;
sheet specification; material utilized; appropriate propulsion; necessary quantity of solar panels; quantity of
batteries; adequate engine; until to the final commercial price.

Figure 1 Block diagram of the system

2. MECHANICAL DESIGN
According to the Archimedes principle,
“Any object, wholly or partially immersed in a fluid, is buoyed up by a force equal to the weight of the
fluid displaced by the object”
Consider any object of arbitrary shape and volume V surrounded by a liquid. The force the liquid
exerts on an object within the liquid is equal to the weight of the liquid with a volume equal to that of the
object. This force is applied in a direction opposite to gravitational force that is of magnitude;
B = f V dis g (1)
Where ρfis the density of the fluid, Vdisp is the volume of the displaced body of liquid, and g is the
gravitational acceleration. The net force on the object must be zero if it is to be a situation of fluid statics
such that Archimedes principle is applicable, and is thus the sum of the buoyancy force and the object's
weight,
mg = f V disp g (2)
Calculation of the upwards force on a submerged object during its accelerating period cannot be done
by the Archimedes principle alone; it is necessary to consider dynamics of an object involving buoyancy.
As the height of the center of gravity increases from the base the stability of the vessel decreases.

2.1. Hull
A hull is the watertight body of a ship or boat. Above the hull is the superstructure and/or deckhouse, are
present. The line where the hull meets the water surface is called the waterline. hull is supported by
transverse frames (often referred to as ribs) and bulkheads, which are further tied together by longitudinal
stringers or ceiling. There is a centerline longitudinal member called a keel. Hulls come in many varieties
and can have composite shape. The flat bottom hull has high initial stability but high drag. To counter the
high drag hull forms are narrow and sometimes severely tapered at bow and stern. This leads to poor

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 2 editor@iaeme.com
 Design and Fabrication of Solar Boat

stability when heeled in a sail boat. This is often countered by using heavy interior ballast on sailing
versions. They are best suited to sheltered inshore waters. But as a comparatively smaller rated engine is
using, a three chine hull is used. Having a shallow “v” in the bottom and near vertical panels above that, it
approximates the shape of traditional rounded hull boats fairly well.

The computational tool used was the Delft Ship Marine Software for easily creating drawings of the
hull. The dimensions and the displaced volume were introduced to the program that generates a hull
drawing that can be later modified. This drawing can be imported to a CAD program to clean the geometry
.Only one design was proposed and most of the time was spent in building, testing and modifying the
prototype to improve its hydrodynamic performance (reduce drag force, increase stability and
maneuverability, etc.).As the fluid moves under the hull, the fluid is accelerated and the pressure decreases
to a low value. From the numerical and experimental analysis, the prototype with the minimal drag force
was chosen

Main Dimensions
Table 1 Type sizes

Variable Description Dimensions

Loa Length over all 3.4

L hull Length of the hull 2.3

Boa Breadth overall 1.3

B hull Breadth of the hull 0.95

D Depth 0.5

H Height 0.67

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 3 editor@iaeme.com
 Edwina G. Rodrigues, Bindu S. J and Viji Chandran

2.2. Boat Material

It was necessary to use light composite materials, to maintain the weight of the boat not exceeding 230 kg.
The excessive weight of the vessel is a main challenge as it’ll create enormous drag forces. Then for a
comfortable sail the power of the motor as well as the area of the panels will required to be increased. Hull,
bulkheads, pillars, deck, seats and roof are out of the very light fiberglass. This has relative good material
characteristics compared to the weight.

2.3. Boat Weight

For the determination of the weights was the hull shape approximated with geometrical surfaces like
ellipses and parabolas and also with geometrical bodies like ellipsoids and paraboloides.

Table 2 Weight dates

Element Mass[kg]

Hull 150

Flat keel 7

Deck 15

Bulkhead transversal 3

Bulkhead longitudinal 5

Solar panel roof 4

Fore pillar 1

Two aft pillars 3

Fore seat 2

Aft seat 4

Engine 12

Battery 15

Solar panel 15

Charge controller 0.2

Total 236.2

2.4. Boat Engine

The engine used for the propulsion system is Hankai-ET45L, considering the economical constrains as
well as the power requirements.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 4 editor@iaeme.com
 Design and Fabrication of Solar Boat

Table 3 Motor Specifications

Thrust 45 LBS/22 kg

Shaft length 30”/75 cm

Overall length 105 cm

Volts 12V

Control Telescoping handle

Propeller 3 blade

Rated speed 1320 r.p.m

Gross weight 12 kg

3. ELECTRICAL DESIGN
3.1. Solar Energy
As the primary energy source of the boat is solar energy, harvesting of adequate amount of energy for the
propulsion of motor under the varying weather conditions is a primary concern.

Table 4 Solar dates

Used values

Solar constant 1000w/m2

Efficiency 15%

Surface area 1.34m2

Area weight of the panels 15kg

The quantity of solar energy in Kerala in good weather conditions averagely 1kw per 1m2 Mono
crystalline solar cells are able to convert 20 % of the incoming solar energy into electrical energy;
1Kw/m2*0.15*1.34 = 200 watts
To ensure a good maintenance for each battery is a hatch in the deck installed. With the battery the boat
can store the solar energy. So it has propulsion even under non-perfect weather conditions.
The details of the battery section are as given in the table5;

Table 5 Batteries specifications

Manufacturer Voltage/capacity Dimensions(length*breadth *height) [mm] Weight

EXIDE 12V,60Ah 150*150*150 15kg

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 5 editor@iaeme.com
 Edw
dwina G. Rodrigues, Bindu S. J and Viji Chandran
an

3.2. Inter Leaved DC-DC Boos

oost Converter Section
The power generated from the PV V system exhibits a nonlinear I-V characteristic
tic. Its maximum power (MP)
point varies with the solar insolati
ation and temperature. As a result the efficienc
ncy becomes low. In order to
overcome these limitations, it’s ’s crucial to have a power conditioning sys system, which is capable of
transmitting the power to the lo load with high efficiency. Simple converter ters such as buck and boost
converters enter into discontinuouous current mode at lower intensity insola lation, resulting in improper
utilization of power devices and increased
in conduction losses due to increasedd current
c ripple. To reduce the
input current ripple and alleviatee tthe problem of discontinuous input current,t, we propose to use two cell
interleaved boost converter for the
he proposed vessel.
The circuit diagram of a twoo phase interleaved topology is shown in figuure 2. The added benefit of
interleaving is that the frequencyy of the ripple components (undesired harmoonics) at the waveforms are
increased in proportion to the nummber of interleaved cells.

Figure 3.1 IBC circuit.

Figure 3.2 Har

ardware prototype of the interleaved dc-dc boost co
converter
[5] The operation of the conver
erter is as follows, here similar inductors are considered
co i.e.; L1=L2=L.D1
and D2 are the duty cycles of Q1 and
a Q2. There are three mode of operation

http://www.iaeme.com/IJE
EET/index.asp 6 editor@iaeme.com
 Design and Fabrication of Solar Boat

MODE 1
At t =0, the gate pulse is given to the switch‘Q1’ of the first phase. Then the switch ‘Q1’ is turned on, the
current across the inductor L1 rises linearly. At the same time, the switch ‘Q2’ in the second phase is
turned off and the energy stored in the inductor L2 is transferred to the load through the output diode D2.
In this time interval, the diode D1 in the first phase is in reverse bias condition .the rate of change of il2 is
given by
= (3)
Whereas rate of change of il1 is;
= (4)

MODE 2
At time t1, Q1 and Q2 are opened. The inductors L1 and L2 discharge through the load. The rate of change
of iLl and iL2 are;
= = (5)

MODE 3
At t = t2, the gate pulse is given to the switch ‘Q2’ of the first phase. Then the switch ‘Q2’ is turned on, the
current across the inductor L2 rises linearly. At the same time, the switch ‘Q1’ in the first phase is turned
off and the energy stored in the inductor L1 is transferred to the load through the output diode D1. In this
time interval, the diode D2 in the second phase is in reverse bias condition. At time t1, Q2 is closed. The
current in the inductor L2 starts to rise while L1 continues to discharge. The rate of change of iL1 is
approximately given by,
= (6)

Figure 3.3 Switching Pattern of IBC

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 7 editor@iaeme.com
 Edwina G. Rodrigues, Bindu S. J and Viji Chandran

Figure 3.4 Switching pattern of IBC

Figure 3.5 Output Waveform of Proposed IBC

4. CONSTRUCTION
The design and construction of the hull for the requirements are done with a maximum seating capacity of
four people. A keel may be fitted on a hull to increase the transverse stability, directional stability or to
create lift. The flatter shape of a 6 degrees hull will plane with less wind or a lower horse power engine but
will pound more in waves. The deep V form (between 18 and 23 degrees) is only suited to high power
planing boats. They require more powerful engines to lift the boat onto the plane but give a faster smoother
ride in waves. Hard chin hull seems to be the appropriate form required by this specific application of
inshore fishing.
The construction of the mechanical structure is done as light as possible. The panel frames were
constructed with accurate dimensions, for supporting the panel without affecting the aero dynamic
stability. Two fore and aft seats and, enough space provided for the panels.
When all composite parts are connected the solar panels can be bond on deck, roof and the four hatch
covers. The montage of the four hatch covers is the next step. After that the electricity must be installed.
That means the batteries and wires get assembled. The last step is to install the engine. The interleaved
boost converter is enclosed within the charge controller module for producing the required boost to the p v
output for the efficient charging of the battery. The module also displays the status of the solar panels,
battery whether charging with accurate statistics of voltage.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 8 editor@iaeme.com
 Design and Fabrication of Solar Boat

Figure 4.1 Prototype of solar boat

5. CONCLUSION
The test run of the prototype conducted and working satisfactorily. However, design improvements are
required for housing more no. of panels. During the design process it turned out that the area for the solar
panels should be bigger so that the engine can run with maximum power. Light and inexpensive materials
were selected to manufacture the boat. Wood and fiber glass were selected due to their relative low price
and weight. The weather conditions in which we monitored data for that specific case showed relatively
low irradiation, caused by clouds and rain. The battery capacity needs to be improved for facilitating the
working under the varying weather conditions. The implementation of interleaved boost converter
improved the energy conversion efficiency.

REFERENCE
[1] “Development of Solar Powered Boat for Maximum Energy Efficiency ”Juraci Carlos de Castro
Nóbrega1 and Andrej Rössling2 1, 2 Department of Electrical Engineering U.F.A.M., Amazonas
University

[2] “Design and Construction of a Boat Powered by Solar Energy with the Aid of Computational Tools”
CARLOS RIVERA-SOLORIO, ALEJANDRO J. GARCI´A-CUE´LLAR and ABIUD FLORES
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tecnolo´gico de Monterrey, Campus Monterrey, Av. Eugenio
Garza Sada 2501 Sur, Colonia Tecnolo´gico, CP 64849, Monterrey, NL, Mexico. E-mail:
rivera.carlos@itesm.mx

[3] “Scenario-based simulation of PV boats in an early design stage” Tim Gorter, Peter Joorey, Angele
Reindersz, Fred van Houten University of Twente, Department of Design, Production and Management,
P.O.Box 217, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands t.gorter@utwente.nl; a.h.m.e.reinders@utwente.nl

[4] “Fuel Free Ship, Design for Next Generation” Zhang Yufang School ofNaval Architecture, Ocean and
Civil Engineering Shanghai Jiao Tong University Shanghai, China zhangyf@sjtu.edu.cn

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 9 editor@iaeme.com
 Edwina G. Rodrigues, Bindu S. J and Viji Chandran

[5] “Design and analysis of interleaved boost Converter for photovoltaic module K.E. Lakshmi
Prabha1,Thangapandian.R2,assistant Professor1, PG Student2 Karpaga Vinayaga College of
Engineering and Technology1, 2

[6] “Design, simulation and validation of solar inverter with two phase interleaved converter” B. Chandra
shekhar, CPRI

[7] A.S. Meena, P.L. Meena, M. Chandra, R. Meena, Shribai and R.C. Meena, Electrochemical Studies of
Anionic and Cationic Surfactants in Photogalvanic Cell for Solar Energy Conversion and Storage .
International Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology (IJEET), 4(4), 2016, pp. 180–187.

[8] Neeraj Tiwari, D. Bhagwan Das and Prabal Pratap Singh, Design, Development and Hardware
Realization of X-Bee based Single Axis Solar Tracking System. International Journal of Electrical
Engineering & Technology (IJEET), 3(3), 2012, pp. 8–20.

http://www.iaeme.com/IJEET/index.asp 10 editor@iaeme.com