current wisdom on electric

My friend uses a portable honda genset converted to propane to complete his hybrid setup.

 

Thunderstruck!

Thanks all for replies and Thunderstruck link. Don't know how I didn't find them before.
Great stuff. Love the regen. Love the reverse on the fly. Prices are great. The 10 or 12.5 kw option looks right for my boat.
Some kind of custom face plate/linkage and motor mount to mate with the A4 V drive is needed. That seems a fun design/machining project
Kit seems to supply all except linkage/mounts and batteries. Any advice on new/economical options... Weight is not a big deal for me, Halcyon is 8 tons, and without the big block of iron, I can install 8, 10, or 12 conventional lead acid cells.
Living in Socal, there lots of sun, so next step is a great in harbor solar panel bank. And the water stays cool, so cooling is not such a big deal - drawing air along the bilge will provide refrigerated cooling air

 

Nice link, thankyou

 

Thanks for links to your project and to Golden motor - very interesting. The liquid cooling is an interesting feature. With Heat Exchanger this may work well. Maybe I can tie in a hot water tank for showers

Hope new year in Finland isn't too grim

 

Personally I would use lead acid Trojan golf cart batteries and use a propane converted honda genset on deck. You can convert to propane for about 100 bucks. This keeps the system cheap and cheerful without paying for anything exotic.

 

I'm wondering - hoping - that in socal sun and with regen, a generator *may* be unnecessary... that would be ideal. My boat hits hull speed easily, and drags the prop around at 5.5 k. So there is energy to be reaped with no extra hardware. It is wind generator by other means

 

All depends on how far you plan on motoring but a back up portable genset would give you peace of mind for minimal cost.

 

regen

The golden BLDC motors look interesting. The thunderstruck motors are AC and they make a lot of regen, whereas Golden do not mention it. Is regen an AC thing, what are the pros and cons of regen with DC and AC?

 

" My boat hits hull speed easily, and drags the prop around at 5.5 k. So there is energy to be reaped with no extra hardware. It is wind generator by other means "

If you load down the prop it will work as a speed brake .

Drag a pail of the same diameter as the prop (15-20 inches?) to see how you like the effect.

There are special slow speed wound alts that will produce DC at the low shaft speed rotating under sail 100-200RPM?

 

Anatol, the regen is a complete nonstarter. Not even 2% efficiency is possible in your application. You want to reduce drag, not increase it. You want a small, folding sailor prop. Reducing drag is the best money you can spend.

 

Very true forget about the regen possibilities in a sailboat.

 

I often anchor in areas with strong tidal currents, and have wondered about the feasibility of regen while anchored...

But I do concur with Phil that the efficiency of a prop in the regen half of the quadrant is quite poor. It might be more efficient to tow a purpose-designed water generator.

On the other hand, if you controller has regen built in, go ahead and use it! My rig is a series wound DC motor, and regen would be quite an expensive controller upgrade.

 

Before using your propeller for regeneration, make sure freewheeling won't damage the transmission. Some will overheat or wear out the clutches/bands.

 

Wartisila, the Finish (like from Finnland) boat company,
Has developed a hybrid ferry.

http://www.wartsila.com/media/news/13-01-2016-zero-emissions-featured-with-new-wartsila-ferry-concept
The concept has been developed in line with the Norwegian government’s new environmental regulations for ferries emphasising the elimination of harmful emissions.
These rich norwegians can afford everything. I wonder if this will sell in Kenya?

 

It only makes sense if you have renewable power