begin quote from:
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/crux/2017/02/02/energy-observer-renewable-energy/#.WJePUIWIa2x
CURRENT ISSUE
Energy Observer: Around the World on Renewables
A computer-generated image of the Energy Observer in frigid waters. (Credit: Kadeg Boucher/Energy Observer)
For over two decades, 45-year-old, French
documentary maker Jerome Delafosse has been diving into oceans the
world over to film marine life, and he’s thrilled about his next
expedition—above water. This spring, he will serve as chief explorer aboard the Energy Observer,
a boat powered by the sun, wind and hydrogen. In a first-of-its-kind
endeavor, Delafosse and his team plan to circumnavigate the globe over
six years, visiting 101 ports in 50 countries, while relying entirely on
renewable energy sources to reach their destinations.
Delafosse and his compatriot, 37-year-old
Victorien Erussard, who is the boat’s captain, hope to renew the legend
of this 30-meter-long, 13-meter-wide catamaran, which was built in 1982 and named Formule Tag. It won the Trophéé Jules Vernes for the team Enza New Zealand
skippered by Sir Peter Blake. Currently, it’s being equipped with its
new energy systems in the northwestern French port of Saint Malo.
“It was then the biggest catamaran of all
time. Sir Blake was also a sailor committed to environmental issues. So
we are proud to navigate this boat. The Energy Observer team
decided to give this legendary boat a new life. And now, we hope to
build another legend around this boat,” Delafosse says.
Relying on Renewables
CEA-Liten, a French research institute that focuses on renewables, developed Energy Observer’s power system from scratch. The primary source of power is the array of solar panels that occupy most of its surface.
Jerome Delafosse, left, and Victorien Erussard stand before the Energy Observer hull. (Credit: Jeremy Bidon/Energy Observer)
“The solar panels had to be specially designed by CEA-Liten for this peculiar application,” says Didier Bouix of CEA-Liten. “Sailors
are always walking on the roof where solar panels are fitted. As a
result, you have to use an anti-slip surface. The other part is the
management of the electricity from the right and left side of the boat
which is not the same.”
Unlike classical solar cells, where there
is a metallic plate at the bottom to collect electrons and where only
one face is active, the solar cells aboard the boat use metallic strings
for the same purpose and get benefit of bifacial cells. According to Bouix, this improves efficiency and will increase the power generated by a factor of 25 percent.
The boat is also equipped with a kite
sail that serves a dual purpose of assisting in navigation and
generating power. The sail will be used during long voyages, like
crossing the Atlantic Ocean, or when there’s wind at high altitude. When
in navigation mode, the sail tugs the boat and converts the mechanical
energy of the propeller into electrical energy—between 2 to 4 kW of
power.
“When the kite sail is operational, the
forward motion of the boat will make the propeller rotate. The rotation
of the propeller produces electrical power in the motor. This is a
reverse mechanism of the normal propulsion in which electrical power is
converted to mechanical power,” Bouix explains.
Delafosse and Erussard (Credit: Jeremy Bidon/Energy Observer)
The boat also features two vertical wind
turbines that will produce around 3 kW of power, which is 1/10th of the
power needed for the two electrical motors. Each turbine is 2 meters
high and has been developed specifically for this boat.
“It is the first time that we will have such turbines on dynamic support,” says Delafosse.
The final, and perhaps most striking,
power source on the boat is an electrolyzer that will extract hydrogen
from sea water. Sea water is first desalinated through the process of
reverse osmosis. Then, the purified water is fed into a solar-powered
electrolyzer, which splits water molecules into hydrogen and
oxygen through electrolysis.
The fuel cell uses a proton exchange membrane that relies on hydrogen and oxygen as input products. The anode reaction (+) separates
a hydrogen molecule into two positively charged protons which permeate
the membrane, while the two electrons are directed around in the
electrical loop. These electrons power the batteries and return to
cathode (-) where oxygen is fed through the membrane. The positively charged hydrogen ions then combine with oxygen atoms and the two electrons to produce water.
The fuel cell can produce 26 kWh of
electrical energy using 1.6 kilograms of hydrogen—as a reminder, half
the energy is generated in the form of heat while the other half is in
the form of electricity. The hydrogen fuel is
used either at night or under cloud cover and also kicks in at the start
of long sails—hydrogen has 20 times higher power density compared to
those of batteries.
Why They Do It
Erussard, a former merchant navy officer
and a French sailing champion, says he wanted to circumnavigate the
world with a powerful message, similar to the philosophy that drove the Solar Impulse 2 team.
“We want to demonstrate the use of
renewable, green, zero-pollution fuel technologies and spread the
message all over the world. It is for this reason that we will be
visiting 50 countries, stopping at 101 ports,” he says.
Erussard reckons the challenge of
navigating the ship will be formidable. “We will start by touring France
and Europe. However, the voyages will get longer while crossing the
Mediterranean as well as traversing the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. The
temperature variations will also be very high.”
(Credit: Kadeg Boucher/Energy Observer)
From the extremely low temperatures in Norway to the high temperature near the equator, Energy Observer will use this opportunity to test the same system and the same model in very different conditions. However, the boat will not lack modern comforts.
“We believe we can’t dissociate the need
to adopt responsible and ecological behaviors from our living in a
modern way. Being ecological should not be associated with living in a
forest with no electricity and dry toilets. This is also a real
challenge as we will have to find solutions that will allow this comfort
after dispensing with the excessive kilograms that will require more
energy to propel the vessel,” Delafosse says.
The boat will have six cabins equipped
with a bathroom, shower and toilet. The crew will eat what they bring
with them and also what they fish. Delafosse
says during their trip they will be visiting start-ups all over the
world whose aim is to protect our planet through innovation.
“This will include all the technological
solutions aimed at protecting our planet such as creating corals using
3D printers, generating light from sea bacteria or creating plastic
using seaweed,” he said.
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