sunefishing

Technical details

In co-operation with the Fraunhofer HHI and the partner company VoltaMove GmbH, low-cost, compact and service-friendly e-outboard motors were developed specifically for use and the requirements profile in sub-Saharan Africa. For the associated battery systems for supplying the motors with energy, we rely entirely on the use of innovative sodium-ion battery cell technology (NIB).

In contrast to conventional lithium-ion cell technology (LIB), NIB is characterised by a number of advantages:

  • No scarce raw materials such as lithium, nickel, manganese or cobalt are required to manufacture NIBs
  • the batteries can be operated completely safely (no risk of fire and/or explosion in the event of overcharging or deep discharge)
  • subsequent recycling is possible without any problems; the only residual materials are sodium (essentially common salt), iron and aluminium.

These NIB cells have only recently become commercially available. NIB storage systems are being developed and tested by the Fraunhofer HHI in Goslar and certified in co-operation with the VDE.

The batteries are to be charged via a foldable solar roof, which is mounted on the boat and can also be used on land afterwards if required. This concept was exhibited at this year’s “Boot 2024” boat show in Düsseldorf at the joint stand of the German Ocean Foundation with great success and resonance. An initial prototype has already been successfully used and tested on a tourist boat with the “Bird Watcher Association” in The Gambia.

Picture: left: Small fishing boat of the women’s group in Kartong. Right: President of the women’s oyster fishing group (left) with the oyster catch.

Supported by our partners

Technical support for the project with the oyster fisherwomen in Kartong is provided by our cooperation partner organisation NGO BenaBena The Gambia in Kitty near Brikama. We already have a long-term partnership with BenaBena in the field of renewable energy systems.

The second cooperation partner is the Serekunda-based University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET). There is also a long-standing cooperation with USET. VoltaViewAfrica will supervise a bachelor’s thesis for a team of women in cooperation with USET, which aims to systematically investigate and evaluate the effects of e-mobility for the fisherwomen in terms of improving their quality of life, improving the profitability of the oyster fishing business model and avoiding overfishing of oysters in the mangrove forests.

Niedersächsische Bingo-Umweltstiftung supports environmental and nature conservation projects as well as projects in favour of development cooperation and the preservation of historical monuments. The foundation is financed by the gambling levy and above all by proceeds from the Bingo environmental lottery. Further information can be found at https://www.bingo-umweltstiftung.de/.

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