NAVALT

INSIGHTS A journal for electric boats

Page 1

Published by: NAVALT SOLAR & ELECTRIC BOATS

Solar - Electric Boats: Let the

facts be known

It’s our vision to reduce the dependence on fossil fuel by

using alternative energy sources. We built this very boat
keeping that in mind. We will not fail until we achieve our
goal.
Sandith Thandasherry
ADITYA, India’s first solar ferry, was built by NavAlt Solar & Electric Boats, for Kerala State
Water Transport Department. This ferry is the first commercially viable mode of transport
powered by solar energy in India and may be the world. Operational since January 2017
from Vaikom Jetty to Thavanakadavu ferrying people in 3.0 Kms. Three years of successful
operation, the ferry alone has run over 70,000 km and saved more than 280 tons of carbon
dioxide emissions. A true masterpiece in environment friendly water transportation.
NAVALT INSIGHTS Volume 1.0 Page 2

Energy Cost - Solar versus Diesel Ferries

Kerala State Water Transport Department (SWTD), proud owner of ADITYA - India’s first solar ferry operates about 100 ferry
boats of different sizes from 75 to 100 passengers all over the state. In Vaikom-Thavanakadavu route there are three diesel
boats apart from ADITYA solar ferry. A diesel ferry needs about 100 liters of diesel daily[1]. In the past one year the diesel price
ranged from 63 to 70 Rs with an average of 65 ₹/litre[2]. This yields a daily fuel cost of 6,500 ₹ On top, another 5% for the lube oil,
filters and other maintenance gives about 7,150 ₹ daily energy cost.

The revenue, from a subsidized transport where the ticket price for 3 km ride is only 4 rupees., from 1500 passengers daily is
about 6,000 ₹ This means that the revenue cannot even cover the daily diesel cost, forget about the additional cost of crew
(2,250 ₹).

For public transportation infrastructure, if the OPEX is covered by revenues then it is a sustainable model, since CAPEX recovery
is attained by other side benefits of improved infrastructure. In case of a diesel boat this OPEX will never be met. This is the main
reason why SWTD initiated the project of solar electric boats five years ago. At this time, it was envisaged that the boat must
consume 40 units (kWh) of electrical energy per day for an average sunny day (defined as 5.72 for the region). From the first year
of operation it was clear that ADITYA need 33% less energy than what the specification demanded (3.3 kWh per trip against 5
kWh in specifications) [1].

For ADITYA the energy cost is the grid electricity cost. ADITYA has been operating for the past three years (since 13 Jan 2017).
Let us take the latest one-year data of electricity charges at Vaikom boat station.

Month Jan-19 Feb-19 Mar-19 Apr-19 May-19 Jun-19 Jul-19 Aug-19 Sep-19 Oct-19 Nov-19 Average

Units
1,016 877 791 964 1,032 1,160 1,312 1,556 1,060 1,218 1,042 1,093
(kWh)

Energy
7,112 6,139 5,538 6,749 7,225 8,120 9,185 10,893 7,420 8,527 7,295 7,655
cost (₹)
Source: KSEB Electricity bill at Vaikom Station (Consumer No. 1146439021447)

In Vaikom boat station, electricity is used by station office, new jetty ticket counter, irrigation office and old jetty office. On an
average we can see that boat consumes about 77% of the energy in the station.

Month Jan-19 Feb-19 Mar-19 Apr-19 May-19 Jun-19 Jul-19 Aug-19 Sep-19 Oct-19 Nov-19 Average
Units
784 677 610 744 796 895 1,013 1,072 954 857 828 839
(kWh)
Energy
5,489 4,738 4,274 5,209 5,576 6,267 7,089 7,505 6,678 6,000 5,797 5,875
cost (₹)
Source: Monthly boat energy consumption from energy meter in boat

As per the specifications the estimated energy consumption was 1200 units (40 units per day) per month. The average for this
third year is about 839 units which is still 30% less than required as per specifications.

The monthly energy cost of ADITYA is 5,875 ₹ per month. In comparison the diesel boats need energy cost of 2,14,500 ₹. per
month, thirty-six times more.

ADITYA type solar ferries are the way SWTD can make OPEX profitability and create a sustainable public transport system, which
is an envy of any state. SWTD has realized this and hence they plan another six solar ferries to begin service in 2020.

Reference:

1.IEEE India Info. Vol. 13 No. 3 Jul - Sep 2018 Page 38-45 http://ieeecs-madras.managedbiz.com/icnl/18q3/p38-p45.pdf
2.https://www.mypetrolprice.com

To Know more ADITYA – India’s first solar ferry: http://navaltboats.com/

NAVALT INSIGHTS Volume 1.1 Page 3

It’s true, Our sun powers ADITYA.

ADITYA solar ferry runs on electrical power train with two sets of motors and propellers. There are two sources of electrical
energy for the boat – solar energy and grid energy. The solar energy is converted to electrical energy by 20 kW solar panels kept
on top of the coach roof. This can also be stored in the battery onboard. The grid energy is transferred from shore to the battery
on boat via charging cables. The charging is usually done in the night after the service is completed. On rainy and cloudy days,
the shore charging is also done in the daytime during lunch break to compensate for the lack of solar energy. In ADITYA Ver 2.0
coming in 2020, the battery size is 60% bigger, and is designed for full day operation, hence there is no need to charge during the
daytime.
Let's take the energy curve of a typical day.

The horizontal axis is time and vertical axis is energy in kWh. The orange curve indicates the motor consumption. When the
motors are running, the curve goes upwards (increase in energy consumption) and when the motor is stopped during breaks
between trips or during lunch/teatime the curve is horizontal (no increase in energy consumption). The green curve indicates the
solar energy production. It typically starts around 8 AM and ends around 5 PM. As the intensity of sun increases the slope of the
curve increases.
The blue curve indicates the battery stored energy. It starts with full capacity of 50 kWh in the morning and depending on
difference between consumption (Motors) and production (Solar), the battery charge changes as we approach noon. Usually it
drops to about 60%. During lunch break, the battery gets charged from the sun and it becomes full by midpoint of the break time.
Once the battery is full, the solar energy cannot be stored and hence the green curve shows a horizontal line. This means that if
the battery size were bigger ADITYA could use more solar energy or it could have a shorter break and run more trips! As
discussed, ADITYA Ver 2.0 has bigger battery bank which will enable to store this excess energy.
NAVALT INSIGHTS Volume 1.1 Page 4

Let’s now look at the three-year data on the motor consumption, solar production and grid charging.

100
90
ENERGY Consumption kWh

80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
19
37
55
73
91
109
127
145
163
181
199
217
235
253
271
289
307
325
343
361
379
397
415
433
451
469
487
505
523
541
559
577
595
613
631
649
667
685
703
721
739
757
775
793
811
829
847
865
883
901
919
937
955
973
991
1009
1027
1045
1063
1081
Days

We can see that the average motor consumption in a day is (70 kWh)

100
90
80
ENERGY from Sun kWh

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
19
37
55
73
91
109
127
145
163
181
199
217
235
253
271
289
307
325
343
361
379
397
415
433
451
469
487
505
523
541
559
577
595
613
631
649
667
685
703
721
739
757
775
793
811
829
847
865
883
901
919
937
955
973
991
1009
1027
1045
1063
1081
Days

The average solar production is (44 kWh)

100
90
80
ENERGY from Grid kWh

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1
19
37
55
73
91
109
127
145
163
181
199
217
235
253
271
289
307
325
343
361
379
397
415
433
451
469
487
505
523
541
559
577
595
613
631
649
667
685
703
721
739
757
775
793
811
829
847
865
883
901
919
937
955
973
991
1009
1027
1045
1063
1081

Days

The average grid consumption is (26 kWh)

One can see that 63% of the energy needs of ADITYA is met by solar energy. As explained above in the ADITYA Ver 2.0, with
increased battery size, the solar contribution is expected to be about 75%.
ADITYA is therefore primarily powered by sun and truly a solar ferry boat.

Energy Source

Sun Grid
NAVALT INSIGHTS Volume 1.2 Page 5

Design efficiency of ADITYA pays Off!!

The original specification of solar ferry envisaged a boat that would take 22 trips in a day and each trip consume 5 kWh of
energy. This meant that the total propulsion energy for 22 trips was 110 kWh. Of this solar energy was supposed to contribute 70
kWh and a grid charging of 40 kWh.
The total energy per day consumed by motor is tracked daily. Along with it the number of trips per days is also monitored. If we
divide the total energy by number of trips, we can get the energy per trip in kWh. This is plotted after calculating for each day as
shown below.

Energy Per trip (kWh)

4.50

4.00

3.50

3.00

2.50

2.00

1.50

1.00

0.50

0.00
1
20
37
54
71
91
109
125
141
159
180
195
211
226
244
261
276
292
307
323
340
355
375
390
405
420
435
451
466
481
496
513
528
545
562
578
596
614
630
645
660
675
690
705
720
737
752
767
782
797
812
827
842
857
872
887
902
917
941
959
975
991
1006
1024
1039
1054
The fluctuation in energy consumption is driven based on the increase in energy requirements based on wind, current and hull
fouling between cleaning. The overall increase as it approaches the drydocking is due to fouling.
As can be seen in the last three-year data, the average energy consumption per trips is 3.33 kWh. This is 33% more efficient than
demanded by the specification. Even if we see the last three-month data, it is still under 4 kWh and on average near 3.5 kWh. This
is made possible because ADTYA has just 17 tons lightship weight and an efficient hull form design ensures that it needs very
low power to propel the boat.
ADITYA consumes only two-third energy as what is demanded by technical specifications.

ADITYA sail through the waves in this part of the Vembanad lake