The Durban University of Technology’s Siyahamba Solar Boat crew are aiming to showcase innovative sustainable maritime technology at the 11th Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC) taking place from 1 July 2024 to 6th July, 2024 in Europe. The international event is organised by the Yacht Club de Monaco in collaboration with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation. DUT’s top crew consisting of Professor Ian Lazarus, Eugene Zeelie, Daanish Meeran, Kereshnie Naganna and Steven Ellis are all set to jet off to showcase their solar-powered boat designed and built by DUT students and staff from the DUT Energy Technology Station known as the KZN Industrial Energy Efficient Training and Resource Centre (IEETR).
The Durban University of Technology (DUT) in collaboration with the Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authority (EWSETA) recently launched one of its greatest innovations, the Siyahamba Solar Boat, a ‘first of its kind’ in Africa. DUT was selected as one of the 15 finalists out of the 120 global entries for this prestigious competition.
Challenges such as Monaco Energy Boat Challenge has been established to promote renewable energy and innovation as alternatives to keep the oceans and environment clean providing mainly university teams from all over the world the opportunity to compete and showcase their design, innovation, technological and sporting strengths in a world class international renewable energy boat racing event.
The solar-powered boat has an overall length of 5.5 metres, width of 2.4 metres and height of 1.2 metres. The main body is made from a carbon fibre composite structure reinforced with aluminium. The estimated overall weight is 90 kilogrammes. It has a Photovoltaic (PV) array of 1.3 Kilowatts to charge a 1.46 Kilowatt hour battery bank, in order to power its 4 Kilowatt Torqeedo electric motor.
Crew member of the Siyahamba solar boat, Kereshnie Naganna said that all crew members have been overseas before. She indicated that Daanish Meeran and Eugene Zeelie had attended the competition in 2022. She further added that it is the first time that Prof Lazarus, Ellis and herself are attending the event.
“We are thrilled and honoured to be participating in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge for the first time. As a team, we feel excited, nervous and eager to showcase our skills and innovation on a global platform. We recognise the prestige and competitiveness of the event and are determined to learn, grow and make a positive impact. We are looking forward to the opportunity to connect with other teams, industry experts and stakeholders, and to contribute to the advancement of sustainable energy solutions in the marine industry,” said Naganna.
In terms of the preparations to the competition, Naganna indicated that all is going well.
“As a team we have worked tirelessly to design and develop innovative solutions that showcase our passion for sustainable technology. We are all geared up and ready to give it our best shot. Winning would be an amazing achievement, but we are also focused on learning from the experience, sharing knowledge with other teams and contributing to a collective goal of reducing our environmental footprint. We are in this together and can’t wait to get started,” shared Naganna excitedly.
Prof Lazarus gave more insight into the team, saying that all are feeling energised and determined as they are approaching the upcoming Monaco Energy Boat Challenge. “We have put in countless hours of hard work and dedication, and it is amazing to see our ideas come to life. The team’s morale is high, and we are all feeding off each other’s enthusiasm and expertise. We know it won’t be easy, but we are ready to push ourselves to the limit and make a real impact in the world of sustainable energy solutions. I could not be prouder of our team-we are ready to make waves in Monaco,” he professed.
The crew will be participating in events lined up from 1 July 2024 to 6 July 2024.
Pictured: Left to Right: All set to prove their mettle in Monaco are: Steven Ellis, Daanish Meeran, Kereshnie Naganna, Eugene Zeelie and Prof Ian Lazarus.
Simangele Zuma/Waheeda Peters
