Abstract

The viability of the use of solar powered boat for passenger transportation within Nigeria Maritime University (NMU), specifically between Okerenkoko and Kurutie towns, two communities separated by water with 0.270 nautical miles apart, is studied. The solar boat was designed based on engineering specifications with solar power integration for power propulsion. The boat, nicknamed SPB-Rose, has a 6.5m overall length and a 10-passenger seating capacity with a PV solar panel of 0.6615m2. It is found that it is a viable solution to operate a solar- powered boat with a solar energy source in this location. Though the sunshine hours are limited to between daily mean of 3.1hrs (1706.69 Wh) in August and 6.2hrs (3878.74 Wh) in November, the implication is that the vessel operation is limited to the range of these daily hours only. It is important to note that even a cruising speed of 0.5knots, it takes about 30mins to sail and convey staff and students between communities under consideration against the present 20mins using internal combustion engine boats. It is suggested that to use the vessel all day, it may be necessary to include a shore-based recharge system with extra batteries for backups at low sunshine hours at NMU.