Staff Reporter
THE Energy and Water Sector Education Training Authority (EWSETA) and Durban University of Technology (DUT) have launched an innovative solar-powered boat, built and designed by students, at the Point Yacht Club in Durban.
The boat competed in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge from 1 to 6 July. The Siyahamba Solar Boat team was the first African team to participate in the event. Out of the 120 entries for this prestigious competition, DUT was selected as one of 15 finalists.
EWSETA has financially supported the project, which aims to boost renewable energy innovation and facilitate skills transfer.
“Beyond the competition in Monaco, the significance of this solar boat project lies in its potential to transform lives and communities here at home,” explains Candice Moodley, EWSETA Corporate Services Executive.
“The technology powering this boat is not just about racing on the open seas. It is the key to unlocking renewable energy solutions that address local challenges.”
Professor Ian Lazarus, the project leader and Manager of DUT’s KZN Industrial Energy Efficient Training and Resource Centre, has mentored several engineering students over the past few years in constructing the Siyahamba Solar Boat. The industry has also provided skills transference through collaboration and partnership.
Lazarus says the students have benefitted from hands-on learning: “To see this technology in action is brilliant for the students. We face several energy challenges in South Africa, and we need to look at alternative energy sources, especially for our seas.”
The boat was designed with the help of an industry expert. When conceptualising the boat, the designer, Daanish Meeran, was an Honours student doing mechanical engineering at DUT.
“I’m proud to have been involved in this project, especially because we can help more students like me get into industry,” Meeran says. “There’s a gap in that university students don’t always have the training and the know-how to get into the workplace, and projects like this are important to help students bridge that gap.”
Moodley says it is imperative to start driving local research and innovation capacity and that EWSETA can help fund tertiary institutions and other entities to nurture entrepreneurs and incubate those ideas.
“The Siyahamba Solar Boat exemplifies this, where visionary thinking meets collaborative action,” she adds.
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