Solar-powered boat design using standalone distributed PV system

Due to the shortage for fossil fuel and the environmental pollution problem, renewable energy application has drawn a lot of attention worldwide. Utilization of photovoltaic energy for public open-water activity becomes possible, thanks to the success of the Planet Solar project. However, an economic solution to deploy the PV power system onto an electric boat has not been reported. This paper presents a solar-powered boat design using the latest patented distributed PV power system which includes the state-of-the-art maximum power point tracking technology, power optimizer and the PV power controller. Distributed PV system with more than 10 PV panels using cascaded MPPT controller provides the flexibility of system design and the effective use of photovoltaic energy. The system has been realized by remodeling a PV boat cruising at Love River, Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Design details will be reported, and its efficiency will also be addressed.