TU Delft Solar Boat Team world champion solar boat racing on open sea

The TU Delft Solar Boat Team became world champion in open-sea solar boat racing during the Solar & Energy Boat Challenge 2019. The challenge took place on Friday 5 and Saturday 6 July in Monaco. This was the first time in the history of the team that it took part in the offshore class, and it is the first Dutch team to race on the open sea with a solar-powered boat.

Solar power on the open sea
Despite suffering several setbacks, such as a broken component during the final tests on the IJsselmeer before heading to Monaco, and a problem with the solar panel electrical system, the team succeeded in becoming world champion. The TU Delft Solar Boat Team, comprised entirely of students, wanted to show that solar power can even take on the open sea and win. Team manager Kristian de Ruiter says: “After all the setbacks I never dreamed we would actually become world champion. I am hugely proud of the team, that in spite of everything they pushed on and were ultimately rewarded with this fantastic result.”

The TU Delft Solar Boat Team
The TU Delft Solar Boat Team comprises 28 students from ten different studies at TU Delft. In just 12 months, the student team goes through the entire process of designing, building, testing, and ultimately racing the solar-powered boat. Since its founding in 2005, the TU Delft Solar Boat Team has been trying to inspire the maritime sector to reduce its emissions. Up until 2018, the students did this by participating in solar boat races on inland waters, enabling them to show what a student team can achieve using solar energy. This is the first year that the team took up the offshore challenge. De Ruiter: “This enables us to show the maritime industry that they can sail with reduced emissions on the open seas too.”