JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009 - 38

FEATURE “Marine” Application With Alt.en, composites are all about the environment The green tide is sweeping all before it, and is boosting the activity of the company Alt.en (as in “Alternative Energies”), which has just delivered two electricallypowered catamarans made of composites to the public transport authorities of the town of La Rochelle. T he first electric boat for public transport in France was supplied to the municipal authorities of La Rochelle in 1998. The high-efficiency propulsion system uses specially designed propellers, with submerged directional engines. A company with a bright future Located in La Rochelle, Alt.en was set up in 1997 by boatbuilding technology specialists at the initiative of Philippe Pallu de La Barrière, naval engineer and director of CRAIN (Centre de Recherche pour l’Architecture et l’Industrie Nautiques – French Research Centre for Nautical Architecture and Industry). The company designs and manufactures passenger vessels with Alten, La Rochelle. the objective of reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and, more generally, reducing the impact on the environment. To this end, it has assembled the best skills in naval architecture, design engineering, hydrodynamics, electric drive and onboard energy to develop a global approach to boat design. This means that the company is capable of producing custombuilt boats meeting the needs of the operator and taking into account the economic aspects, the service, the design and the comfort of passengers. The company then assists the operator in providing both maintenance for the vessels and training for the pilots. Through continuous technology watch and development partnerships with leading-edge manufacturers in the field, the company remains ever-ready to evolve towards new solutions in the field of batteries, propulsion and H² technology. This ambitious yet rigorous approach has established Alt.en as the European leader in zero-emission maritime passenger transport. Over the last two or three years, business has really taken off for the company with, in particular, the delivery of a batch of 22metre river cruisers with a capacity of 130 passengers to the city of Paris. A 40-seater ferry boat is currently under construction for a shuttle service in the Old Port of the city of Marseille. More information: www.alternativesenergies.com An approach with a history This first “Passeur” (harbour shuttle) with a 30-seater capacity manufactured by Alt.en continues to link the old port to the Ville en Bois district of La Rochelle. The vessel is also equipped with 20m² of solar panels. After the success with the first boat (300,000 passengers per year), a second one was commissioned in 2003 to tackle the increase in passenger numbers. The two electric catamarans now work in rotation all year round, seven days a week, from morning to evening. On 8 May, Alt.en supplied the town of La Rochelle with two new electric sea buses – Copernic and Galilée – each with a 75seater capacity. Benefits galore, and composites to boot These two new electric catamarans are entirely designed to be environmentally friendly, and use neither diesel nor any Copernic boat. other form of fuel. They can sail under their own power at a service speed of 6 knots (12 kph), covering a distance of 100 km between charges on the strength of their 120 kW nickel batteries. They are also equipped with photovoltaic panels that furnish around 20% of their power needs over the year. This reduces the energy costs to 22 Wh/km/passenger. The design of these craft, which weigh in at a mere 18 metric tons, calls on the use of composite materials, which are lighter and hence more energy-efficient. The various composite parts are produced via infusion. These boats are also extremely quiet and stable. Their streamlining is optimized, with the catamaran option generating fewer waves, which in turn protects the banks and provides greater stability. This solution also allows these craft to sail on expanses of water that are subject to a fair proportion of wind and wave action. 38 jec composites magazine / No51 September 2009

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JEC COMPOSITES MAGAZINE - Issue #51 - September 2009

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