The University of Malta showcased two of its very successful projects at the Valletta Boat Show in Cospicua. Through the initiative of the Knowledge Transfer Office, the stand was set up to promote the University-developed technologies to a broader audience with the aim of increasing opportunities for commercialisation.
The prototype of the Innovative Catamaran demonstrates state-of-the-art green solutions in water transport. It incorporates the latest technologies in electric drive system, battery monitoring and management, smart charging and flexible photovoltaics with integrated design.
The University has been developing a smart charging system for electric and hybrid boats that can be tailored to the needs of any drive systems. The aim of the catamaran is to show any configuration of drive systems, including solar cells, fuel cells and connection to the grid.
The added value of the smart charging system is in the constant monitoring and control of the batteries. It ensures that the batteries are always charged and discharged in the optimum way relative to the use and source of electricity. It can be controlled remotely and in case of positive energy balance, it can feed the excess electricity into the grid. The main advantages of such smart charging is the extended lifetime and the higher performance level of batteries, what makes the electric boats more usable and competitive.
Beyond direct benefits to operators, green water transport also contributes to sustainable tourism and conservation of coastal area by eliminating CO2 emission and reducing noise emission.
The second remarkable project exhibited was Kaptan (captain) – a smartphone application developed within the Calypso project by Aldo Drago from the Physical Oceanography Research Group within the Department of Geosciences.
Seafarers navigating in the proximity of the Maltese Islands and southern Sicily now have a new aid for planning safer trips. Just a few clicks on a phone app leads users to sea and weather data in the form of interactive maps.
The data is mainly derived from the Calypso HF radar observing system, consisting of HF radar CODAR SaaSonde installations on the northern Maltese and southern Sicilian shores at four selected sites. Satellite observations added to high resolution weather and marine numerical models, run at the University specifically for the Malta-Sicily Channel, provide a full suite of very local reporting and complement other weather forecasts derived from GFS/WRF models and local weather stations.
The phone app can be downloaded for free for both Android and iOS devices (Google Play and App Store on iTunes respectively). The same services are also available online on www.capemalta.net/calypso/kaptan. Watch a guide at http://oceania.research.um.edu.mt/cms/calypsoweb/images/videos/KAPTAN_app.mp4.