Last straight line for Energy Class candidates who are completing their registration file for their participation in the 9th edition of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge.

Organized by the Yacht Club of Monaco alongside the Prince Albert II Foundation, this meeting, synonymous with eco-responsibility, makes it possible to respond to environmental and technological challenges through new alternative propulsion systems.

“Safeguarding the environment and promoting the most innovative technologies is our responsibility notes Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary General of the Yacht Club of Monaco for whom this event is part of the Monaco Yachting Capital project. “This approach gives Monaco its status as a unique place, which must affirm its position as a center of excellence which also earns it the spearhead of Responsible Yachting”.

The YCM has thus set itself the task of driving a new vision of yachting by becoming an incubator to support research and development in the sector. It is by stimulating the creativity of tomorrow’s engineers and professionals on all propulsion using clean energies that this ambition is achievable.

In Energy Class, the Technical Committee has just decided on the final list of participants while in Solar Class, which met in honor of boats powered only by solar energy, candidates will have until March 31, 2022 to submit their application. Third and last category, the Open Sea Class aims to offer performances that already exist or are about to be marketed. The next deadlines are fixed on May 1st for boats not CE approved and on July 1st for CE approved boats.

Energy class: 16 projects, 10 nations, including 3 new teams in 2022!

In total, the teams entered were selected on file in energy class. In this category delivered in 2018 and in which the organizers provide the hulls of the catamarans to the competitors who must select their energy solution without emissions for use, in order to design a propulsion system with the only constraint of using an amount of energy selected at 10kWh. Some participants in this category are loyal to the event, like the Arts & Métiers and SBM Offshore teams.

Alongside countries such as Indonesia, Monaco, France (largely represented with 5 teams), Greece, Italy, Portugal, United Arab Emirates, China, it should be noted the participation of India and Canada, a first since the creation of the event. These two nations will be represented by students from Polytechnique Montréal and Kumaraguru College of Technology.

A participation that means a lot to these competitors as evidenced by Professor Kiranlal of the Kumaraguru College of Technology: “ At Sea Sakthi, we have prior automotive experience, with a number of national level events on behalf of our institute. In recent years, we have focused our attention on electric mobility. We are helping to make our nation carbon neutral by 2070, as India committed to at COP26. This is the main motivation of the Sea Sakthi team. The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge is a catalyst for change. It’s a field where students like us and even the industry can innovate and go beyond the limits. Participating in this meeting is an honor and a pleasure. This allows us to measure our progress against those around the world. It is a challenge that we will take up. At Sea Sakthi we come from a nation named after an ocean and we are sure to conquer the waves. »

Ditto for Pascale Bérubé of Polytechnique Montreal “ participating is already a great success in itself for Exocet and represents the culmination of all our efforts. Since the student group began its activities in the pandemic, the road has been long and arduous. Despite the moments when we felt like we were swimming against the tide, we persevered and the success is all the more pleasing. We are excited to share our ideas for improving tomorrow’s shipping, a cause close to our hearts. »

The school of Polytechnico Milano is also among the newcomers. Out of all of these participants, eight teams, or 50% of the fleet, are working on an energy source made up of hydrogen. Its use in the yachting industry is also being tested on all of these projects.

“Each team file has been carefully examined explains Jérémie Lagarrigue, CEO of EODev and head of the Technical Committee. ” This includes a team of five experts who monitor the competitors throughout the year and answer their technical questions. It is extremely important that the committee reviews the specifications of the team, in order to ensure the best safety practices and fair play during the competition in Monaco. All competitors receive a set of guidelines to build their cockpit in compliance with strict energy and safety rules on board”.

A new regional qualification system

With the success of the Energy Class, the YCM wishes to open the qualifications to other continents like China, which will host the first regional events in Sanya in 2023. The top three teams will then automatically qualify to compete in Monaco in the final. The reflection is also initiated to organize the same type of meeting in the United Arab Emirates.

10kWh… the energy bar is set high!

Thanks to the updating of the rules this year, the energy quantity has been increased to 10kWh. The teams see this as an opportunity to build faster boats, ranging from single to twin engines for some of them: a chance to further develop their project and break the energy class speed record set in 2021 at 13,589 knots by the UNIBOAT team.

Eco-design award: life cycle analysis

The Monaco Energy Boat Challenge renewed this year its intention to place sustainability at the heart of the challenge through the Eco-design Prize, by encouraging teams to carry out a 360° analysis of the project, from its design to its construction and -beyond… Recycling or a second life will be an opportunity for the teams to think about the future of the industry.

A taste of Monaco Ocean Week

On the occasion of Monaco Ocean Week, an initiative of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation alongside the Oceanographic Institute of Monaco, the Scientific Center of Monaco, the Yacht Club of Monaco are organizing the Monaco Energy meetings on Thursday 24 March Boat Challenge, a conference on the theme: “ Sustainability and added value of a Zero Emissions objective”.

Various sectors of activity involved in the superyacht industry will be called upon to speak, such as representatives of shipyards, sales and charter brokers, insurers, architects and even yacht managers. Panelists will debate both market perception and the value of yachts designed to be as eco-responsible as possible. The implications for new units as well as the sale value of second-hand yachts will also be examined.