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Europe’s largest environmentally friendly catamaran

Eco Slim, a one of a kind eco-friendly catamaran, has set sail. It is powered with renewable energy, built by Drassanes Dalmau and developed by a team from the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. It is the first boat with these characteristics in Spain and the largest in Europe

STAFF | MARCH 30TH, 2011

The eco-catamaran is now a reality. This electrically powered boat fed by renewable energy sources was built by Drassanes Dalmau, located at Arenys de Mar near Barcelona. A research team from the School of Industrial Engineering of Barcelona and the College of Nautical Studies of Barcelona of the ??Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC) has been involved in its development, which was carried out with assistance from the Industrial Technology Development Center (CDTI) of Spain’s Ministry of Science and Innovation.

This boat, called the Eco Slim, is the first environmentally friendly catamaran in Spain and Europe's largest with these characteristics (electric propulsion and a capacity of 150 seats). In Europe, there are similar boats powered by electric energy, but they are for inland waterways and have less seating capacity. The Eco Slim, with a length of 24 meters and a width of ten and a half meters, is intended mainly for tourism and can cruise at eight knots per hour.

The boat reduces the impact on the marine environment and noise pollution The boat runs on a combination of energy generated by solar panels, wind turbines and hydrogen and diesel-electric thermal generators, which reduces the impact to the marine environment and noise pollution. The new catamaran also is lighter than traditional boats and can therefore use less powerful engines for the same result. This reduces the cost and the environmental impact of the boat.

Two innovations

The new boat has two important innovations. One is the design of the propulsion system by the UPC team which is based on the use of two high-performance electric motors connected to multiple energy sources: a diesel generator and a set of 90 batteries. These batteries can be charged either by a generator on shore or by two wind turbines and 40 solar panels installed on the deck of the boat. With this propulsion system, the catamaran has a capacity to navigate over four hours at six to seven knots. The batteries can be recharged in an hour and a half.

The other innovation is the boat’s design and the construction of its hull, which was carried out by Drassanes Dalmau with the help of Isonaval. It is the first hull to be built in Spain by a vacuum infusion system. The port and starboard were made separately and then joined together, similar to the process used in the manufacturing of car bodies. This reduced the boat’s weight by 50% compared to conventional models. Also, thanks to the hydrodynamics of the boat, its hydrodynamic resistance is 20% lower than other boats. These advances mean the boat weighs less and, consequently, requires a less powerful engine.

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