Solar Sal is the invention of David Borton, a physicist and retired professor at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute who has been interested in solar energy since its inception. Borton’s Sustainable Energy Systems in upstate New York concentrates on solar power, and he has recently created a division dedicated to building solar-electric boats.
One of the offers from this division is the Solar Sal 24 electric boat, which can cruise all day on sunshine alone. Yes, it contains onboard batteries that can be used to power the boat after dark or when there is no sunlight. 10 individuals can easily spend a day on the water without ever using a drop of fuel or stopping to recharge.
The enhancement of the total efficiency of the electricity through direct current channels between the panels and the engine is a significant feature of the Solar Sal 24 electric boat. After combining all of that with a specifically built hull, the business petitioned for and was granted a patent.
The Solar Sal is 24′ long, 7′ 6′′ broad, and has a draft of under 1′ 8′′. The business concentrated on building a hull that would readily glide through the water, similar to how designers of electric cars focus on aerodynamic efficiency to boost range. Torqueedo supplied a 3 kW (4 hp) electric motor as well as four lithium-ion batteries with a total capacity of 14 kWh for the boat.
The canopy above gives space for four solar panels with a maximum capacity of 350 watts each, for a total of 1,400 watts. That’s enough to sail around at 5 knots all day without ever using the energy stored in the batteries. The Solar Sal has a list price of $124,500.
Reference- Solar Sal website, Marine Boats Article, Clean Technica, PR Newswire