A research team from Canada’s Memorial University of Newfoundland has designed a solar-powered pleasure boat. The researchers developed and sized the system using a two-stage evaluation method combining energy yield estimates from HOMER Pro with multi-domain dynamic modeling in MATLAB/Simulink.
“The real-world applicability of this solar-electric drive system underscores significant environmental and operational benefits for the marine sector,” the researchers said. “By eliminating onboard fossil-fuel consumption, the proposed architecture avoids localized greenhouse gas emissions, reduces acoustic pollution, and prevents potential fuel-spill contamination in fragile marine ecosystems.”
The researchers designed the solar-electric propulsion system for an 11.8-meter-long, 5.8-meter-wide boat capable of accommodating five to six adults, taking into account solar conditions in Larnaca, Cyprus. Based on a full-load displacement of approximately 2,250 kg and a target speed of 5.4 knots, they selected two 2.5 kW brushless DC motors, with an estimated energy requirement of 30 kWh for six hours of daily operation.
Using HOMER Pro and local solar resource data showing average daily irradiation of 5.43 kWh/m2, the researchers assessed power generation, energy balance and life-cycle economics. The proposed system features 32 solar modules rated at 330 W each, providing a combined capacity of 10.56 kW across approximately 62.4 m2. The modules are divided into four independently controlled subarrays. Eight lead-acid batteries form a 48 V, 410 Ah battery bank with a nominal storage capacity of 19.68 kWh, providing two hours of backup power.
The team modeled the system in MATLAB/Simulink, connecting each subarray to a common 48 V DC bus through a boost converter equipped with incremental-conductance maximum power point tracking (MPPT). A central energy management system limits battery charging current to approximately 50 A and curtails surplus generation. Hall-effect sensors and closed-loop proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control regulate motor speed at 2,000 rpm. The simulations covered solar-only, combined PV-battery and battery-only operating modes, assessing power tracking, voltage stability and motor response.
“Dynamic simulation results under localized clear-sky irradiance peaks confirm that the decentralized PV system achieves a maximum output of nearly 10.98 kW,” the researchers said. “Evaluated against the logical profiles of Larnaca, Cyprus, the array fully satisfies the baseline propulsion demand while delivering a robust 39.8% excess energy margin.”
The results also showed that the four incremental-conductance MPPT controllers effectively minimized power-tracking oscillations, while the energy management system maintained DC-bus voltage fluctuations within ±3% of the nominal 48 V rating.
“While this simulation-based work establishes a rigorous computational foundation for system control and dynamic sizing, several avenues remain for future development,” the researchers concluded. “Furthermore, experimental validation through physical full-scale sea trials could be conducted to verify real-world hydrodynamic drag effects, alongside detailed techno-economic sensitivity analyses evaluating levelized cost of energy (LCOE), net present cost (NPC), capital paybacks, and cycle degradation under fluctuating market interest rates and fuel prices.”
The researchers presented their findings in “Integrated modeling and performance assessment of a stand-alone PV-battery system for a solar-powered pleasure boat,” published in Next Research.
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Tuesday, November 10, 2026
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