Phil Sharp Racing and the Imperial College London’s Energy Futures Lab have joined forces to develop a zero-carbon racing yacht.
Offshore sailor, Phil Sharp, will use the system as he aims to be part of the first British team to win the Vendée Globe. Phil previously won the Route du Rhum solo transatlantic race.
The joint initiative will develop and construct a fully sustainable, zero-carbon emissions energy system for an IMOCA 60 offshore race boat to compete in the IMOCA Ocean Masters World Championship. The four-year championship includes the gruelling Vendée Globe solo non-stop round-the-world race.
The project will draw on the latest innovations in hydrogen fuel cell, energy storage and solar technologies.
Professor Nigel Brandon, BG chair in sustainable gas and co-supervisor of the research, said: “I am delighted to be involved in the energy systems development of such a performance driven, offshore marine project. We believe it provides a powerful opportunity to demonstrate the competitiveness, adaptability and reliability of the green energy technologies of tomorrow. The association is also inspirational for students at Imperial.”
The project aims to prove the advantages of renewable energy and clean technologies compared to the more traditional fossil fuelled systems used in isolated environments.
Phil, who doubles as an offshore skipper and composites engineer, added: “At the heart of a round-the-world race yacht is the energy system, which powers the autopilot, navigation systems and water makers. Having a reliable, low-weight, efficient and sustainable energy system is critical if you want to be competitive in such an endurance race. Based on initial studies carried out by EFL I believe that it is now possible to achieve these objectives effectively using a zero-emission system thanks to recent innovations.
“As part of the solar development we are carrying out climatology studies that look at radiation data along typical Vendee Globe routings. Imperial will feed this data into a solar round-the-world simulator in order to select the appropriate technology and optimise the position and sizing of the PV panels on the boat. It is important to look at this early on during the development phase so it can be integrated effectively in the overall yacht design package. Having the technology is one thing, but driving the maximum efficiency out of it is another.”
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