The meeting place for alternative propulsion for carbon-free yachting » PACA’s economic and political letter
Dedicated to sustainable mobility and renewable energies, the Yacht Club de Monaco is more than ever leading the race in search of environmental solutions, preparing the kick-off of the 9th MONACO ENERGY BOAT CHALLENGE which will be organized from July 4 to 9, 2022. .
As part of the collective umbrella brand “Monaco, Capital of Advanced Yachting” and bringing together the industry and the new generation of engineers, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge aims to contribute to the energy and environmental challenges of the 21st century, and thus offering innovative solutions for yachting, particularly in the propulsion and alternative energy sector. Since its creation in 2014, the event has aroused more and more enthusiasm and has established itself as the international yachting meeting of tomorrow. For this new edition, there are more than 35 teams, including 27 universities representing around twenty nationalities in the Principality. “ Our desire is to build the future through an eco-responsible and societal prism, concerned about future generations. The yachting industry will not be able to assess if it does not integrate the concept of sustainable development in each of its initiatives commented Bernard d’Alessandri, Secretary General of the YCM
Alongside countries such as Indonesia, Monaco, France, Greece, Italy, Portugal, the United Arab Emirates, Peru and even China with The Hainan Institute of Electronics, it should be noted the participation for the first time from Canada and India These two nations will be represented by students from Polytechnique Montréal and the Kumaraguru College of Technology.
Organized in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, with the support of Credit Suisse, BMW and SBM Offshore in particular, as well as the Oceanco shipyard, the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge propels creativity and stimulates innovation.
After the confirmation of registrations for the Solar and Energy classes, it is the turn of the non-regulated CE and hydrogen prototypes of the Open Sea class to finalize their registrations while the CE homologated units will have until July 1st.
The meeting receives many supports in the image of Bertrand Piccard, founder of Solar Impulse Foundation and sponsor of the event: for several years now, I have been the sponsor of this event and I have been able to witness its evolution. At first it was a bit anecdotal, the boats weren’t really professional, it was the beginning with these pioneers who were trying to do something with alternative energies. And now, after nine years, it has become marketable! Boats come to market. It is therefore clearly a new phase. And the message is simple: bravo for all you have accomplished and keep it up for the future. »
THREE CATEGORIES AT THE START
16 teams of 11 nationalities will compete in the Energy Class for which the organizers will supply the hulls of the catamarans to the competitors who must select their energy solution in order to design an emission-free propulsion system. A constraint to respect: use a quantity of energy selected at 10 kWh for this edition, and work on the design of a cockpit with high-performance lines while designing it in a sustainable approach, in order to optimize the life cycle of materials . The Solar Class, historic category of the event, gives free rein to 16 teams and their units powered by solar energy.
Mainly open to exhibitors present in the YCM Marina and to boats already on the market or about to enter it, the Open Sea Class aims to shine the spotlight on these units which meet the commitments in favor of the United Nations’ “Net Zero Emissions” to avoid the most serious effects of climate change and maintain a habitable planet.
PADDOCKS AND EXHIBITOR VILLAGE: DECRYPTED ADVANCEMENTS AND APPLIED INNOVATIONS
On land and at sea, a complete program awaits the participants. This event, with a unique format, has the particularity of combining numerous trials at sea, such as trials, speed records, endurance races and maneuverability tests, with a technical component on land. Conferences, hydrogen round table or even daily tech talks will animate the village of exhibitors, open to the public (free entry), which will welcome start-ups and new projects in the field of innovation, sustainability and new energies in yachting. The opportunity also to discover and even be able to test (by appointment from July 6 to 9) electric units moored to the pontoons of the YCM Marina.
SPECIALIST DEBATES:
In addition to the daily tech talks, which favor Open Source exchanges, there will be a day of conferences on Thursday July 7 called “Energy Transition in Yachting: Opportunities & Limits”. About twenty speakers will come to discuss the subject of R&D on alternative energies, carbon-free energy production on board as well as the yachting sector as a field of experimentation (registration required).
Friday July 8 will also be held the 3rd edition of the Round Table of the Monegasque Working Group on Hydrogen entitled “Unlocking the barriers of hydrogen in the maritime sector: port regulations & economic viability of projects”. This meeting, organized in collaboration with the Mission for Energy Transition Monaco and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, will allow Monegasque, French and international governmental and institutional players as well as hydrogen project developers to take stock of the current situation and to discuss the regulation of hydrogen projects in the maritime sector (by invitation).
TECHNOLOGY IS INVITED AT ALL LEVELS:
This week will also be an opportunity to use technology with, among other things, the installation of flexible solar cloths (Solar Cloth) on the site, recently acquired by the YCM in its sustainability approach, they make it possible to optimize the energy consumption linked to nautical activities. Placed on a battery pack, this device adapted to the electricity which will also be reinjected into the YCM network, just like that produced by the floating solar panels, installed in collaboration with the SMEG. Proposed by SBM Offshore, a pontoon producing green hydrogen from renewable energies will be moored in the YCM Marina. The Hydrogen provided will allow their SBM E-Racing Team to restock to participate in the events. Still on the theme of hydrogen, EODev will present the zero-emission 100kVA electro-hydrogen generator GEH2 as a demonstration.
A LABORATORY FOR TESTING NEW SOLUTIONS:
TU Delft Hydro Motion Team (Netherlands) is offering, in Open Seas, a new Hydrofoil monohull prototype equipped with a fuel cell which replaces the modular trimaran they had developed for the last two editions. This year, seven hydrogen projects will be presented in Monaco, but these are not the only novelties being tested. Like Helios who, every day on his chariot brought the sun across the sky, the students of the National Technical University of Athens Oceanos NTUA (Greece) opted for solar energy in addition to their motorization electric. This year they also developed a bespoke propeller to improve the efficiency of their propulsion system. On this path they are not the only ones, the teams of UNIBOAT (Italy) & Capgemini Engineering (France), and Sea Sakthi (India) also offer a tailor-made solution. A great opportunity to test the different solutions offered. While some will play on the addition of solar panels to recover as much energy as possible during the race, Hydrovinci (France) will embark on the challenge for the first time with a wind system to produce energy on board, and may win the endurance test. The French from Caiman ENSTA, (Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées – Paris) are putting themselves on a reduction in drag thanks to a new design and an improvement in thrust using a new propeller nozzle. The students have also opted for the use of recyclable materials for a reduced ecological footprint.
JOB FORUM: LOOKING FOR YOUNG TALENT
As part of Monaco Capital of Advanced Yachting, whose ambition is to position the Principality as a vector of excellence in this industry, the organizers of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge have been setting up a Job Forum since 2019. An initiative, positioning yachting as a real job-generating industry. From its first year of implementation, around twenty young people have found an internship or job opportunity with companies in the sector. This year, job offers will be posted from June 15 on the website https://energyboatchallenge.com/ and on Thursday July 7, young talents will follow the Job Dating format to meet potential future employers.