Design
All McConaghy catamarans have a huge amount of horizontal surface area where solar panels can be mounted
yacht and most of the horizontal surfaces with the solar panels,’ Evans continues. ‘When it comes to research on what’s available on the solar panel market and how it performs, we’ve done a great deal of work in this area to the point that we consider ourselves to be experts in this field. There’s a wide range of solar products out there and identifying the right panels for the job is not always that straightforward. Some of them are more efficient than others due to heat transfer and then there’s the issue of ensuring that their specific application means that they don’t overheat and so on. But, 90 per cent of the boats that we produce are now fully covered with solar panels. To include solar panels has now become the norm which is certainly a step forward.’ But for McConaghy the work doesn’t
stop here when it comes to additional ways in which power can be generated. Instead, the company has taken the quest for green power further by considering and employing a range of innovative and advanced techniques as well as a major step forward that could prove to be a complete game changer. ‘Everybody's pushing us for green solutions,’ says Evans. ‘One of the ways that has been popular so far is to use Integrel systems, which are fast charging 48 volt systems that can generate up to six kilowatts per engine. This means that when you're motoring you can push 12kW back into the batteries, way more than what most boats achieve. The system is basically like a big alternator hanging off the side of the engine. ‘Using the main engines like this means
72 SEAHORSE
that you're not wasting the power but you're generating electricity and putting it back into the system. Around 50 per cent of our clients are now taking this fast charging system. It also means you can make savings when it comes to the main generator which can be smaller and cater for just the house loads. Then, when you need to ramp things up you've got two other generators with the main engines. So, even just at this level, with the presence of solar power you do have a lot of means of putting power back into the boat.’
McConaghy is also using an increasing
‘Boatspeed is clearly important for hydrogeneration’
amount of solar photovoltaic (PV) glass aboard their boats which allow the windows to act as solar panels too. ‘The glass that we buy for skylights and windows has a built-in solar membrane. You can still see through the glass, but with this technology the glass now becomes a solar panel as well. I would say around a 50 per cent of our clients are taking the solar glass option,’ he continues. ‘You can get different
levels of efficiency and while this glass is a lot less efficient than solar panels, when you add this into the overall equation you can start to see a path towards a fully green yacht.’ But despite this significant progress,
the company is working on a bigger project that Evans says could be a game changer. The system is currently in development and he’s reluctant to give away too many details at this stage, but when pressed he confirmed that the basis of the next generation of power supply is around hydrogen fuel cells. Those that have followed McConaghy’s
recent projects around the America’s Cup world may not be surprised to hear this given that the company was so closely involved with Emirates Team New Zealand’s hydrogen-powered foiling chase boat. From an emissions point of view the benefits of hydrogen fuel cells are well known, namely that water is the only waste product. From a technical point of view, hydrogen fuel cells are far more efficient than straightforward electrical batteries that, by comparison, have far less energy density making them a much heavier solution for the same amount of power. ‘From many points of view, especially
when it comes to emissions, hydrogen fuel cells offer big benefits. But there are also a number of key issues that make this technology hard to apply when it comes to blue water cruising boats,’ he says. ‘One issue is the need to store
hydrogen at high pressure, around 350-720bar which means some highly sophisticated and expensive engineering. But from our experience it’s also not that appealing to our cruising clients. Another issue is that of availability. While hydrogen is used widely in industry and available in developed parts of the world, it’s very difficult if not impossible to get it in less populated areas. But we believe there is a way of achieving an efficient hydrogen fuel cell that overcomes these issues that will really open up the possibilities.’
So how far away are we talking? ‘To get to the point of being able to prove the concept I’d say around another six months,’ he says. ‘The fact is that while this will represent a big step forward, the technology is already out there and well
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