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SBMer E-Racing Team wins innovation award at Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge
The “Prize for innovation’ was well-deserved recognition for the inspiring boat design by our young engineering E-Racing team entering the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge.
Speaking on behalf of the team, Federico Toscano said “we were so happy to get the award. It represents the spirit of why we decided to enter – to try something different and to challenge ourselves by pushing the existing limits.”
Watch our E-Racing team in action!
The jury was convinced by our team’s innovative purely hydrogen-based design – which was unique among the competing boats. One feature that drew attention was the integration of a fuel cell, which is usually not used on water – the team made modifications to allow them to integrate it safely into the boat. The innovative aspect of the design was the combining of two complementary energy sources, the fuel cell and the Thermo-Electric Generator (TEG) system, with ten peltier cells allowing the system to regain part of the heat dispersed by the fuel cell. The team also chose to use a super capacitor, which allowed the engine to react more quickly and dramatically reduce recharging time; they were the only competing team to do this.
Federico went on to say “we entered the competition not just to try to win, but to add value and gain new knowledge while trying. We realized that by trying to be innovative it would likely make us less competitive in terms of speed etc. But innovation is the spirit of SBM Offshore and we feel rewarded by having achieved our goal in that respect.”
