Renewable Energy, Solar Energy
To take children from an island in Pará to school, Brazilian universities built a solar boat with a capacity for 22 people. The vessel was allocated to the community of Santa Rosa, on Ilha das Onças, in Barcarena, where school transportation depends on the rivers.
The information was released by WEG, a Brazilian manufacturer of motors and electrical equipment. The boat received 4 kWp in photovoltaic modules, two electric motors, and a battery bank with a reported autonomy of up to five hours of night navigation.
The project brought together researchers from the Federal University of Santa Catarina and the Federal University of Pará. After approximately three years of development, the vessel began operation to serve students in a region where there is no school connection by road.
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In the community of Santa Rosa, the journey between homes and school cannot be made by bus or car. The children live on an island and need to use the rivers as a path to study.
In this scenario, the riverside school transport depends on a vessel capable of navigating the region’s waters. The solar boat was designed to pick up children from their homes and transport them to school.
The capacity for 22 seated people allows gathering students in a single vessel. The project also brought technology developed in universities to a daily need faced by Amazonian communities.
The boat’s cover received photovoltaic modules, panels that transform sunlight into electricity. The set has 4 kWp of installed power, a measure that represents the capacity of the panels placed on the vessel.
The electricity produced helps power the system and recharge the batteries. This storage allows the solar-powered boat to continue navigating when the light diminishes or disappears.
Energy generation changes with the amount of available light. For this reason, the vessel does not rely solely on the panels during the journey, as the batteries are essential for nighttime travel and periods of low generation.
The battery bank functions as a reserve of electricity. The stored energy can be sent to the motors when the panels installed on the roof stop producing enough.
The announced autonomy reaches five hours of navigation. This time allows for travel during the night, but it does not mean that the boat can operate indefinitely without recharging.
The solar school boat also depends on technical monitoring and maintenance. Panels, batteries, connections, motors, and other components need to remain in suitable conditions for the school route to be completed.
Propulsion is provided by two electric motors, responsible for transforming electricity into movement. These are the devices that make the propellers work and propel the boat through the river.
WEG, a Brazilian manufacturer of motors and electrical equipment, detailed that the motors installed on the vessel have water cooling. This feature helps control the heat produced during operation.
The set also uses equipment to control the electricity sent to the motors. For passengers, the result is seen in the vessel’s movement, while the system adjusts the energy used in navigation.
The planning included a solar workshop next to the dock, near the school. The structure would have 16 kWp of installed power and a battery bank to help recharge the vessel.
This point on land would be important on days with little light or when the boat needed to complete the charge. In this way, the operation would not be limited only to the energy captured by the panels installed on the roof.
The workshop forecast shows that the use of solar energy does not eliminate the need for infrastructure. The boat still relies on recharging, inspections, and care for the electrical equipment and the vessel itself.
The boat was presented by the Federal University of Santa Catarina during the Rio+20, in 2012, when it was still in the finalization phase. The proposal already planned for a capacity of 22 people and service to the Santa Rosa community.
After approximately three years of development, the vessel began to be used for school transportation on Ilha das Onças. The project combined university research, solar energy, and a practical mobility need in Pará.
The solution does not alter the region’s geography but adapts transportation to it. Instead of relying on a non-existent road, the system uses the river itself as a route and combines panels, batteries, and electric motors.
The solar school boat for 22 people features a 4 kWp photovoltaic roof, two electric motors, and stored energy for journeys without sun. The workshop near the school was planned to provide support for recharging.
For the children of the community, the result is evident in a basic task: getting to school even when the only available path is over water. The technology was built around the real conditions of the population served.
Could a vessel like this improve school access in other riverside communities in Brazil, or would each region need to develop its own solution? Leave your opinion in the comments and share the publication.
Flavia Marinho is a postgraduate engineer with extensive experience in the onshore and offshore shipbuilding industry. In recent years, she has dedicated herself to writing articles for news websites in the areas of military, security, industry, oil and gas, energy, shipbuilding, geopolitics, jobs, and courses. Contact flaviacamil@gmail.com or WhatsApp +55 21 973996379 for corrections, editorial suggestions, job vacancy postings, or advertising proposals on our portal.
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