Integrel will be on display at the Annapolis Sailboat Show, Oct. 10-14 in the Annapolis Hybrid Marine booth Tent D17-18. Come by and find out more about this new and exciting technology!
I would like to thank you, Nigel, so much for your vision and efforts as well as to thank those involved with the EU HYMAR study, and other like minded visionaries like Dave Tether, etc, who have all had a common goal towards safe, autonomous, non-polluting, and quite voyaging. A great but poorly executed concept does not help one when it fails in the middle of the ocean. It’s obvious by your rigorous testing and development that you internalize the understanding that “the devil is always in the details”. Thank-you for this gift. Technology is converging in the areas of battery / super capacitor, graphene, PMDC for propulsion, wind, hydro, and diesel generation, as well as enhanced solar generation, to the point that sometime in the next two decades the diesel will be for emergency use only. However, no mater how great, sophisticated, and attractive green energy becomes, the diesel remains the ultimate back-up emergency power supply due to it’s inherent simplicity and reliability. Whether it’s a hospital, a ship, a Nuclear Plant, a school, a military base.....continuity of electricity ultimately always originates in the emergency diesel and batteries. This-emergency device by its very nature ‘Must Work’ when called upon. The big resistance to hybrid solutions has historically been “that old, noisy, smelly, polluting diesel may not be pretty but it’s pretty reliable”. Nigel, you have been an authority on reliable, safe, marine electrical systems for decades and have done the extensive work on this project required to produce a hybrid solution that promises to have reliability equal to that of the old diesel-only technology. That ‘passion for excellence and safety’ is demonstrated for all to see. When combined with the onboard electrical storage, management and distribution systems, this technology may eventually lead to the elimination of gasoline and propane requirements altogether, further enhancing marine safety and environmentally friendly practices. The recent charter dive boat “Conception” fire and explosion off the California Channel Islands demonstrate the inherent environmental and safety risks associated with gasoline/propane (34 lives instantly lost - nobody below deck survived). As a sailor (inland and coastal only, alas), nothing brings me greater joy than shutting down the ICE and becoming one with nature while enjoying quiet conversation with shipmates. That being said, reliable secondary propulsion is the wise path both for safety and convenience. You’ve gifted us a great device- WELL DONE! Are there any thoughts of developing 96V or 144V systems for larger applications and to reduce (I x I x R) losses (heat)? Many thanks! 😎
Vincent, Thanks for your very kind comments. Until we get some form of energy storage which has similar energy densities to fossil fuels, we are not going to get away from diesel and gasoline engines, but we are getting there, and must get there, and in the meantime we can considerably optimize the use of those engines when they are running. On the electric side, as you note for higher power levels we need higher voltages, but then you also get into more demanding installation and safety standards. Our feeling is that the needs of the vast majority of the recreational boating community can be met without going beyond a nominal 48 volts, which is covered by essentially the same installation practices and standards as 12 volts and 24 volts so is well understood. Nigel
