Looking at the website in more detail, I pulled the following data:
The boat is 46' x 22'.
Their 10kW solar array is 700 sq ft. This will produce about 60kWh per day of good weather. 10kW will still take about 600 sq ft, even using newer panels.
60kWh daily works out to a cruising load of 2.5kW across a 24hr period. This means that each motor is running at about 1250W at 5-6kts. 5.5kts is 2/3 of the 8.5kt theoretical hull speed for a guesstimated 40' long waterline (the site didn't give that spec). This falls into that "sweet spot" for efficient power to speed conversion.
Each hull contains an independant drive system, there is a 25kWh (520Ah * 48V) battery bank on each side. This works out to a 60% discharge level each day. The panels recharge to the banks to full during daylight while driving the boat at cruising speed. Bad weather would reduce that day's range.
The estimated cost was projected at 700,000 Swiss Francs or 560,000 USD at 2006 conversion rates. Actual cost was not listed.
This project was well planned and seems to have met their design parameters, it certainly succeeded in its primary deliverable, crossing the Atlantic with no fuel.
Thank you to hob/qwave/?? for providing the link.
Eric
Marina del Rey, CA
--- In electricboats@yahoogroups.com, "hob t" <marlborosounds@...> wrote:
>
> Here is a link to a solar boat that crossed the Atlantic a few years ago with nothing but solar and electric 8kw motors. 12tons and 520ah of batteries. Why people wish to limit what can be done and cant be done. I guess there is a first time for everything and always someone to show the masses that hey it can be done.
>
> http://www.transatlantic21.org/
>
> Cheers
> sv/qwave
> the other electric boat
>
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