Events

Student initiative with international outreach

The originator and organiser of the challenge is the Student Research Club AGH Solar Boat, which has been designing and building zero emission boats powered by renewable solar energy for more than a decade now. The team has represented AGH University internationally on numerous occasions, participating in prestigious solar boat competitions in Monaco, Germany, or the Netherlands, among others. The projects implemented by AGH Solar Boat are a real response to the deterioration of the natural environment and the growing need to develop sustainable forms of water transport. The experience gained while competing against the best teams in the world forms the basis of the Krakow Solar Boat Challenge concept. It is the knowledge, engineering expertise, and organisational experience of AGH University students that have allowed us to bring the international standard of solar boat competitions to Krakow.

What is the Krakow Solar Boat Challenge?

The Krakow Solar Boat Challenge combines modern engineering, sport emotions, and technologies of the future. Several European teams, including the Netherlands, Hungary, Germany, and Poland, have declared their participation in the first edition. Each team will present their own solar boat design, developed from scratch with maximum energy efficiency and reliability in mind. The competition is not only a spectacular rivalry on water, but also a practical research and development testing ground, where student projects face real-life operating conditions on the water.

Tasks in the Krakow Solar Boat Challenge

The programme of the challenge includes four tasks that comprehensively test the design capabilities and skills of the teams:

• In Endurance, the teams aim to complete as many laps as possible in a specified time. All boats start at the same time.
• Slalom is all about precision. The task is to complete the slalom course marked out by buoys as quickly as possible. In this task, boats and helmsmen have to demonstrate their control over the vessel and their reaction speed.
• The Match Race is a competition of pairs of boats on a designated course. Two boats compete at the same time, and the winner advances to the next round.
• The Speed Race is when you go as fast as you can. The boat must complete the designated course in the shortest possible time. This is a test of the maximum power, aerodynamics, and efficiency of the entire unit system.

Technology, education, and environmental responsibility

The Krakow Solar Boat Challenge aligns with the university’s mission to develop practical engineering education, international cooperation, and eco-friendly technologies. The event is free of charge for participants and is aimed at the academic community, as well as Krakow residents, families with children, and anyone interested in the future of transport and renewable energy. We highly encourage you to follow the solar boat competition which surely will make the summer season all the more colourful with sporting rivalry and modern technology. The Krakow Solar Boat Challenge is a unique opportunity to see innovative solutions in action, experience rivalry firsthand, and discover what the future of zero-emission water transport looks like.

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For more information about the challenge:

• go to the website of Krakow Sollar Boat Challenge
• follow the event on Facebook.