Sailing on software: Solar Boat Twente, pioneers like no other

Where other teams rely on the skills of a pilot, Solar Boat Twente relies on software precision. Starting next year, they will build a boat powered by a green methanol fuel cell. This makes them the first team to deploy this technology in the maritime sector. What began as an initiative by a few students at the University of Twente has grown nine years later into a professional team with a sustainable mission. The founder, Jasper Admiraal, and current team captain, Birgit van der Burg, look back and ahead.

A flying start - literally

Jasper Admiraal, co-founder of software company Baseboard, founded Solar Boat Twente nine years ago as a mechanical engineering student. At the time, there was no University of Twente team taking part in the solar boat races. These competitions are popular in the Netherlands, with several solar boat races taking place annually and an active community of student teams, MBO teams, and high schools.

This is also how Jasper came into contact with these competitions; in high school, he had already built a solar-powered boat. When he moved to Enschede to study, he thought, “We should be able to do the same here.” After six months of planning, recruiting, and convincing, the first team started from a small room on the university campus. "There were fifteen of us in thirty square meters. We had a great time. Working with your friends on a physical product was a nice change from sitting with your nose in the books."

The first team from Solar Boat Twente immediately chose an innovative course: a solar-powered boat with hydrofoils and a computer-controlled control system. 'Flying' above the water became the goal. The team successfully produced a fully functioning solar boat—a unique feat at the time—and achieved a podium place at the world championships in Monaco.

From flying to winning: 9 years of Solar Boat Twente

Current team captain Birgit van der Burg began her year with a different mission: to win the Balaton Solar Boat Challenge in Hungary in August. "We knew this would be the last year we would build a solar boat. We want to pull out all the stops. That also means we took more risks in the design," Birgit says. “Instead of staying on the safe side, we are looking to go beyond the limits.”

In the team's previous races this year, it was already clear that the mission of “winning” is inextricably linked to performance pressure, and each team member handles it differently. Therefore, when competing in Hungary, the workload will be more evenly distributed among team members. "We check in with each team member every day. Based on that, we can then distribute tasks."

Birgit put her master's degree in Biomedical Engineering on hold this year to work full-time at Solar Boat Twente. Her year as team captain is almost over. The most important lesson? "I learned how people work and how to motivate them. And: daring to make decisions. As a team manager, people come to you with their opinions, but we can't weigh 24 views against each other all the time. Sometimes we just have to draw a line, even if not everyone agrees."

Jasper echoes her. "In our first year, sourcing our solar panels was a big issue. At that time, few companies were willing to sponsor us." Half of the team was in favor of implementing a proven technology, which would require more expensive panels, thereby raising additional sponsorship money. The other half wanted to go for a cheaper, more innovative product. "In the end, we went for the innovative solar cells. They yielded less than we hoped, but we learned a lot as a team."

Relying on software instead of a pilot

Where other teams rely on the skills of a pilot, Solar Boat Twente relies on software precision. The advanced computerized control system allows the solar boat to “fly” autonomously above the water on hydrofoils. Instead of mechanical feelers and manual pilot control, Solar Boat has three sonars and an inertial measurement unit on board. These sensors continuously measure the boat's distance from the water surface and its position in all directions. The system can thus react quickly to changes in waves and wind, keeping the ship stable above the water without the pilot having to make active adjustments. “Developing such a system is very complex: the light boat reacts violently to wind gusts and wave action, which requires robust and fast control technology,” Jasper explains.

Pioneering with methanol

While preparations for the final race of this season and the final solar boat are in full swing, the team is also gearing up to design a methanol boat. Next year, it will say goodbye to solar energy and shift its focus to green methanol as a fuel.

Birgit: "Our main mission is to inspire the maritime sector. In recent years, it has become clear that solar energy is not a solution for large cargo ships. So we started looking for a new interpretation with which we can stay close to our mission and help make shipping more sustainable." Over the past few years, the team conducted literature research on how to make the maritime sector more sustainable and explored various alternative fuels.

"Methanol came out as the clear winner: it is safer to work with than hydrogen and has a higher energy density. So the choice was easy. We are the first student team to sail on methanol."

The last solar boat

Whereas in 2016, Jasper's team was still moving out to various partner sheds, Solar Boat Twente now has its own office and workshop at the Future Factory in Enschede. “The team has become much more mature in everything,” says Jasper. "From multi-year projects to handover structures - it has become an organization. In the first year, our goal was to create something that works. Now we are thinking about the future of the maritime industry. That's very bold to see." Yet one thing hasn't changed: motivation. "You come here because you want to work on something tangible. Because you want to make an impact."

Teamcaptains Then & Now

Solar Boat Twente dares to take risks. We interviewed the team’s founder, Jasper Admiraal, and the current team captain, Birgit van der Burg

View Teamcaptains Then & Now