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EFOYCOMFORT fuel cell record attempting rowing boat
Fuel Cells, Aug 03 2012 (The Hydrogen Journal)
- An EFOYCOMFORT 140 fuel cell has been installed onboard a rowing boat which is being used for an attempt to row around the coastline of the UK in the fastest time.
The fuel cell has been installed by UK company Fuel Cell Systems, which claims to be the UK's most experienced integrator of fuel cells for commercial applications.
The fuel cell will be used to power electrical equipment onboard, including a tiller pilot, satellite navigation, radio, satellite phone and fresh water maker. It will keep onboard batteries fully charged.
The rowing boat is scheduled to leave from Tower Bridge, London, in early June 2013.
Only 10 people have ever rowed around the UK nonstop, and the current record is 26 days 21 hours, set in 2005 by a crew from the British Army.
The fuel cell was chosen because it was lighter than other energy generation means (eg a diesel generator).
The team first used fuel cells in 2009, when they used an EFOY 160 fuel cell under the rowing deck of their first ocean rowing boat.
As we found out last year in our world record row across the Atlantic, fuel cell technology is much more dependable than solar or wind," says David Hosking, Retired Royal Naval Commander and skipper of Team Hallin, the rowing crew.
“We’re seeing an increasing demand for fuel cell technology in the leisure sector, particularly from the marine industry. From ocean rowing boats to off-shore racing yachts, fuel cells are becoming the preferred choice of power supply," says Tom Sperrey, managing director of FCS.
“We would not have broken the world record for the fastest ever crossing of the Atlantic underoars without the fuel cell. It worked excellently and never required any servicing. The fuel cell provided us with guaranteed power for all the key electrical systems onboard, something the solar panels were unable to do.”
