Network of electric cargo boats and solar charging docks

Hi all, I'm looking at ways to improve cargo transportation in the Congo basin. 70% of the population of the country relies on agriculture. But this agriculture is very inefficient due to a lack of inputs and to a lack of transport systems for getting produce to market. This keeps rural populations in relative poverty. Roads are absent or in a very bad state. However, a large part of the rural population lives close to the Congo river or its many tributaries. So river transport is the way to go (several thousand kilometers are navigable).

The current fleet on this river network, consists of low-cost, wooden, diesel-powered longboats ('Baleinières' or 'whaleboats') which are pretty dangerous, thousands of dugout canoes and a limited number of functional barges pushed by pushboats. The latter do serve only a tiny fraction of those who would benefit from regular, low cost transportation.

The idea is to 'leapfrog' into a new model: low-cost battery powered cargo barges, which can serve even remote villages; charging would be done by floating power docks (such as the ones developed by Faro Boats).

The main goal is to create a system based on two logistical/agricultural models: (1) a model in which (we as) a company would identify strategically situated rural communities who can produce; train them into modern agriculture; use the boats to both supply inputs and to evacuate the products. In this model, the company would be both an agricultural producer and a transportation company. (2) a model in which we work purely on the basis of supply and demand; we would communicate prices per tonne-km to farming communities; the highest bidder gets the space on the cargo boat (or via another mechanism); this allows us to control the supply of our transportation services and ensure we make a profit. Note that communications are improving daily, even in the most remote places of the Congo basin, where the cell phone has arrived.

I know this all sounds ambitious, but this would be a combination of existing technologies to solve a complex set of problems. Ultimately, the goal is to help the development of some of the world's poorest people, while potentially turning a profit.

Now the annoying part: I have almost no experience in boat design, let alone electric engineering; I'm more in the social sciences, but have an interest in developing this further. Anyone interested in exploring this?

Obviously, any (frank) assessments, suggestions, criticisms are very welcome - that's why I'm here!

Thank you,
Lawrence

 

We've been involved in the preliminary design of electric fast ferries and crew transfer vessels. For the fast ferry application in particular, battery weight and charging time have proven problematic to say the least. Your described application looks much more practical and achievable.

As you proceed to evaluate battery and charging technologies, you might take a look at this company if you have not already.
PwrSwäp - Shift https://shift-cleanenergy.com/pwr-swap/

 

@rob denney is working on a low cost locally built sail/solar electric fleet of commuter and cargo boats for Fiji. It is probable that other similar projects are going on in other regions, and it seems to me that collaboration would be highly beneficial to all. Cargo Proa - Fiji — Harryproa https://www.harryproa.com/blog/cargo-proa-building-blog

 

Lawrence I suggest you include wind in your heading as it is quite viable alongside solar and you might spread a wider net.

 

It would be better if the power system were self contained and hybrid. Considering this is not out at sea, solar barges could have the entire roof in panels. The roof could serve as a way to keep sun off. The logistics of charging on shore and moving batteries or rapid chargers and not losing stations to theft sounds like trouble.

Here, barges haul sand and gravel. They are wide open on top for loading.

 

With a 1% electrification rate in rural areas of Congo I wonder if "just" Diesel infrastructure would be faster and easier to build (if not already there at many places) and cheaper, although not green..

Also wondering if a company who wants to earn money can give the people the chance for less poorness. Probably a non profit organisation by and for the farmers/ villages/ etc would help them more

Just thoughts from someone raised in mid europe.

 

I suspect a lot of the motivation behind these projects is removing the yoke of oil company bondage and foreign corporations in general.

 

It's not economically viable. The sun might shine for free but you have to pay money to have it transformed into electrons. That won't be local francs, it's going to be hard renminbi. With batteries you pay all the fuel in advance and hope to recover the cost during their lifetime. A model like yours needs three times the battery for every unit of distance. Example: the boat must cover 100km, at 10km/h, using 50kW/h. The boat needs a 500kWh battery and the charging station at each station needs also needs one the same size, plus the solar panels to charge it in a day. All of this plus the associated electronics and installation need to be payed in advance and have a lifetime of around 30 years. To this you add the running costs of the boat and charging stations.

To make something even remotely feasible you need to go into human power scale, at wich point it's a race between imported technology vs. local human cost. Such a boat can have a small battery and be powered directly by a solar canopy, but speed, range and payload are exactly like the paddled example, and the human is usually cheaper.

 

Low cost and battery operated are contradicting constraints. Diesel power is a lot cheaper and does not require highly skilled technicians/engineers to maintain and install. Introducing sophisticated and complicated technology in societies that don't have the infrastructure to service and maintain it has be historically proven to be counter-productive. When equipment breaks, they end up worse than before, since the previous technology has been discarded. Otherwise, they become a society dependent of the handouts of their "benefactors".

 

Wireless Power Transmission
Perhapse this project would make a great development concept for some new technology in wireless power transmission (WPT).
https://www.eetimes.com/emrod-enables-nikola-teslas-dream/

EMROD | Power Anywhere https://emrod.energy/

There may be funding available to use this project as a laboratory to advance EV concepts. The remote status of this region seems perfect for both an application for economic need and a test subject for wireless power transmission, to setup along the river's course. WPT could allow for continuous operation of cargo vessels or simply augment the dockside charging facilities.

I am not involved with any organization or educated in this technology, but I find it fascinating and exciting for our future. I wish you and this project great success.

-Will

 

I agree with everything you said above, but the technical skills to install and maintain diesel technology is on a par with electric. It's just different. However, the information and resource base may be much easier to obtain for diesel technology.

-Will

 

There are a few diesel auxillary sailing double canoes that run on coconut oil.

 

A mechanical injection diesel engine can be maintained and rebuilt with no more than a simple set of tools. Power management for electric systems and maintenance of Li Ion batteries and associated electronic controls needs knowledge and possession of testing computer, proprietary software and extensive training.

 

In China , already use the electric power for cargo ships , but in front , you must be invest much money , so , this stage , maybe need much money for invest.
Methanol fuel is already here , contact us
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Steam!
Boil some water, put some oil on the moving parts, open a valve, the boat moves.
Simple boilers and a reciprocating engine can give decades of service with only the lowest of tech.
High tech sounds so good, but always falls flat in real world conditions in 3rd world environments.