Energy balance analysis of solar-powered catamaran

Abstract

In the last decade, alternative energy is being used in various vehicles due to the depletion of fossil energy resources. One of the kinds of alternative energy is electricity. Electric drive can be used in land vehicles, aircraft and watercraft. To identify the possibility of using electric watercraft and the technical parameters, an experiment was conducted in real navigation conditions in the territory of Jelgava city on the Driksa canal on a 1.62 km long route. The experiment used a data logger to take measurements of parameters of the motor and the solar cell, as well as of solar intensity. The experiment was done with a rebuilt pedal-powered catamaran equipped with a 445 W solar panel, a 40 Ah lithium-ion battery and a Minn Kota Endura C2 34 electric motor. The experimental data were processed to identify the power and energy generated and consumed parameters for the electric motor, the solar panel and the battery of the watercraft. On the day of the experiment at a solar intensity of 500-600 W·m-2, the catamaran could cover an unlimited distance at power settings 3 to 5 at a speed of 2.73 km h-1 to 3.79 km h-1. At power setting 5, the electric motor consumed a power input of 320-330 W – a power output generated by the solar cell in sunny weather. If the battery is discharged, the solar cell charges it when the watercraft is anchored in the port, as well as when moving in case the solar cell generates more energy than the motor consumes at a particular power setting. According to the results of the experiment, low-speed electric-drive watercraft equipped with solar cells can be operated without additional battery charging at all power settings at geographical latitudes up to 57° and solar altitudes up to 35°-56°.