According to the report published by Allied Market Research, the global solar boat market generated $0.65 billion in 2021, and is estimated to reach $2.4 billion by 2031, witnessing a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 14.2% from 2022 to 2031.
EVALAN, the IoT leader in Europe, participated in the core technology of the Solar Panel Boat designed by the Association Engineers of Innovation, that has raced in The Netherlands and Madeira.
The Need
The Solar Boat needed an IoT Gateway to connect its solar panels and solar converters. This helps Engineers of Innovation to understand more and maximize the energy generated by the solar panels. It was also necessary to have a user-friendly dashboard where all the data could be shown in a clear and effective way.
The Technology
Engineers of Innovation chose BACE (Build a Connection Everywhere), EVALAN’s Gateway, as the solution for the Solar Boat IoT project.
BACE Plus is best suited to connect assets. This BACE module connects straight to a device via one of the several built-in protocols (like Modbus, CAN bus and a Pulse Counter), or wirelessly with Wifi Direct. It delivers LTE-M and 2G connectivity.
The benefit
The first benefit to highlight about BACE is the fact that it can communicate and retrieve data from many sensors immediately, thus helping improve boat performance. The second, and particularly important, benefit is related to the Energy generation. With BACE you can predict the Energy you will use, for example in a race, and know if you will be able to arrive at your objective. Having access to the Cloud and DATA is essential to achieve this.
Data from key parameters and multiple sensors in the boat can be sent to our cloud system, for example: panel temperature, GNSS/GPS (Included in BACE), speed, the boat’s orientation etc.
Finally, the hardware is ready to speak CANBUS (Controller Area Network). It needs a small software that can be included in the firmware.
“BACE is the best. You don’t need to worry about the connection to the cloud because is already done.”
Engineers of Innovation
Benefits highlights
- Easy connection to the Cloud
- Control Energy Performance
- Predict Energy Consumption
- Data-driven Efficiency Knowledge
- Measurement of multiple sensors onboard
- GNSS/GPS integrated
- CANBUS communication ready
About Engineers of Innovation
Engineers of Innovation was founded in 2017 by a group of enthusiastic engineers of the alumni of Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences who wanted to use their knowledge for innovative projects.
The entrepreneurial team’s mission is to contribute to sustainability in and around water through innovations. A project that Engineers of Innovation is currently working on is the Solar Boat project. In this project, they build, improve and sail with a solar boat (see image), and they participate in the Solar Sport One races and the Monaco Solar & Energy Boat Challenge race.
About EVALAN
With over 15 years of experience, EVALAN is the leading IoT solution provider. Recognized among the 100 most innovative enterprises in The Netherlands and present in over 50 countries, EVALAN helps its clients to solve challenges and make data-driven decisions allowing them to improve efficiency, save costs and achieve sustainability goals.
EVALAN’s IoT solutions help people in Energy, Agriculture, Construction, and Industry to improve efficiency and achieve sustainability goals.
For more information
Send an email to info@evalan.com
Or book a meeting with us here.
