HZ students with Solar Boat to Monaco

From 11 to 15 July, HZ students are participating in the Monaco Solar & Electric Boat Challenge in Monaco. Since the beginning of this study year, 15 students and two supervising teachers have been involved in the realisation of this project.

Rick Witkam, an Engineering student at HZ, is part of the team. “We are participating in the A-Class with eleven teams, in programme components such as the slalom, sprint and an endurance race. During the endurance race the energy efficiency of the boats is considered.”

The HZ team has used many new techniques in their boat. “The solar panels we use are one of the latest models presently available. In addition, our battery is so new that it is not yet available on the market, so we’re actually using a test version.”

Learning in practice
The assignments the students are carrying out in this project are a great practical experience. “We are responsible for arranging sponsorship, the trip, finances and, of course, all the activities concerning the technical part of the boat. The team work has made us grow closer together. At this moment, we’re working on the boat from 9 to 5 every day.”

Preview on the challenge
The goal of participating in the Solar Boat Challenge is, of course, winning, although the team does not think it will succeed. “We focus on ending in a middle position. We started without budget, which is a significant difference with regard to the competition. We started with little resources, but with the help of sponsors, we’ve been able to achieve it the realisation of this solar boat.”

The team is currently finalising the boat and leaves for Monaco next Monday. Next year, the Solar Boat Challenge takes place in Friesland, the HZ team has the ambition to also participate in this race. All developments around the Solar Boat can be followed on the team's Facebook page.