Electrification of Boats for Small-Scale Rural Fishing

Advancing towards the goal of taking action to combat climate change, studies directed on the gradual shift to utilize greener energy are in demand. Prior to this study, efforts on electric conversion of marine vehicles have been made for large-scale projects. With the motivation of having progress on electrification inclusive even for small vessels, this research is aimed at conducting a study on the electric conversion of traditional fuel-powered boats for small-scale rural fishing. In this research, a 3D model similar to the existing hull structure of fishing boats was created for the simulation of resistances, computation of the expected energy consumption, and considerations on the sizing of the electrical equipment to form a fully electric system for the marine vehicle. This design was tested through software simulations and hardware emulations to forecast the projected range of operation and limitations of system performance. Results showed the use of 60 Ah batteries can complete 66.5% of the usual operations of the fishing boat. In contrast, the use of 100 Ah batteries would result to 100% completion of operation, with 360 Wh spare energy.