@: stephan.vanreen@solarboatteam.nl

Ever since I started kayaking a decade ago, I have wondered how boats are designed, how certain boats are shaped for speed, others shaped for maneuverability and others perfectly designed for rough seas. So, when I found out that there was a Dream Team building a flying boat, I immediately signed up. I believe solar powered vehicles are an important step forward, especially to convince the world to follow the path of renewable energy. Innovation is driven by economic incentive, which requires a desire for people to buy renewable alternatives. This can only be achieved by showing the potential of these alternatives over the current standard.

As the Internal Structures Engineer, it is my task to ensure that all the subsystems, such as the battery, motor and struts, are properly placed and secured in the boat. This also includes designing the solar deck with the electronics department and designing the hatches needed for maintenance. The wide variety of requirements of the different subsystems means that no day is the same for me. What I like the most about my task is having to find out how all subsystems work and thus communicating with all the subsystem’s respective specialists on a regular basis.