New here! Keel and or keel matrix idea... could it work?

Discussion in 'Sailboats' started by Zack bass, Jan 28, 2025.

  1. Zack bass
    Joined: Jan 2025
    Posts: 1
    Likes: 0, Points: 1
    Location: Houston,tx.

    Zack bass New Member

    Was brainstorming the other day and thought I might run this by some of yall nautical brainiacs out there.ive been interested in ev tech for some time now. I've also been studying vertical wind turbines/ev motors/battery tech and photovoltaic cell and thin solar film tech.So my ? Is would it be entirely possible to use thin film solar technology covering damn near entire hull topside and the sides of a sailboat,above waterline ofcours.leads running down to your standard type of charge controler.then, and here's where it gets a bit different, have the keel and or keel matrix ballast weight and mass made up of a pourable solid state battery actually poured inside a rigid cladding making up the outside of keel and matrix.the newest r and d is on a potassium oxide based solid state battery. no doubt the safest bet rather than any lithium concoction I'm quite sure.if it more practical to just be poured throughout the matrix or however.so long as structural integrity is maintained and weight distributions are close wouldn't this work?if calculations are correct energy generated from square footage of thin film solar topside would virtually eliminate the need for big gensets.absorption rate percentage would drop a few points due to transparent gel coatings for protecting film so on and so forth.but could this be feasible? Just kikn it around?thanks for listening be safe out there and God bless.
     
  2. Blueknarr
    Joined: Aug 2017
    Posts: 1,501
    Likes: 450, Points: 83
    Location: Colorado

    Blueknarr Senior Member

    Welcome to the forum.

    Keep thinking outside of the box. Eventually something brilliant will happen.

    Unfortunately not this time...yet.

    Very little of a boat's topside is optimally facing the sun. You probably greatly over estimated the energy potential.
    But as PV improves and electric devices become more efficient, there's hope that eventually it could work.

    Unfortunately optimal keel shape and optimal battery shape cannot be reconciled.

    I know of a few vessels that have tried batteries in the keel. Bad things happened when water collected on the batteries.
     
    tane likes this.
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