Yachting Monthly
- Digital edition
Everything you need to know about hydrogenerators
- Sam Fortescue
- December 13, 2023
Design developments have made hydrogenerators the most efficient form of sustainable auxiliary energy for yachts. Sam Fortescue reviews the latest innovations
The potential of hydrogeneration has been well understood for decades, but it’s only over the past 15 years that the idea has started to become properly commercialised. In essence, it’s a very simple concept: the boat’s motion through the water turns an alternator which generates electricity to recharge the onboard batteries.
‘Every yachtsman owns a sophisticated wind energy machine in the form of the yacht itself,’ explains Peter Andersen of Eclectic Energy, which manufactures the Sail-Gen and Duogen hydrogeneration systems. ‘Hydrogeneration provides a simple way of converting a small part of the power harnessed by the yacht’s sails directly into electricity.’
Because water is a much denser medium than air, a small hydrogenerator fitted to the transom of a yacht can potentially produce a great deal more energy than if a larger wind turbine was fitted to it.
‘Kinetic energy increases proportionally to the cube of the velocity,’ adds Andersen. ‘That means producing 300 amp-hours per day or more is a realistic prospect while cruising at 7-8 knots with a hydrogenerator fitted. And it’s the reason why more and more boat owners are now opting for water generation, although it’s still not as popular as it should be.’
By contrast, a tradewind run with a wind turbine might yield just 80 amp-hours per day, because the apparent wind on a run is lighter. Good performance might see 40W output from 10 knots apparent. Similarly, solar panels only produce a fraction of their rated output for most of the day, so you’d need a large array to match the return of a modern hydrogenerator.
A blend of all three will, of course, give the best outcome for different conditions at anchor and under way – but on passage, it’s hard to beat the benefits of a good hydrogenerator.
Watt&Sea’s hydrogenerator is a flexible option
Speed v drag
The speed versus drag issue has always dogged hydrogeneration technology, mainly because hydrogenerators only put out meaningful energy once a boat reaches speeds of five knots or more. However, the increasing use of hydrogenerators on the international offshore racing circuit has started putting paid to most of those concerns, with all manufacturers now agreeing that the extra drag of the impeller in the water is negligible. It also becomes non-existent once the boat reaches hull speed.
The main issue for cruising sailors is the boat speed required to obtain meaningful energy from a hydrogenerator, which is mostly a question of the diameter and pitch of the impeller. Just as you need to ensure that an auxiliary propeller is matched to both the power of the engine and the speed of the hull, so the impeller on a hydrogenerator must be correctly sized for the speed of your boat under sail and desired power output.
The pitch also needs to be set to offer the optimum angle of attack for the boat’s likely range of speed through the water. That’s why leading manufacturers offer a choice of impeller, or at least an adjustable one.
Hydrogeneration is the most efficient form of sustainable auxiliary energy for yachts
The Watt&Sea is the most flexible in this respect. Its two models (300W and 600W maximum output) can be equipped with a 240mm diameter impeller or a 280mm unit. The difference in output is striking: at five knots boat speed, the smaller one produces 100W, while the larger one can manage 120W. Over the course of a day, that amounts to an extra 40 amp-hours on a 12V system.
The smaller impeller has a maximum boat speed of 11 knots, which will be enough for most cruising monohulls. Only sporty catamarans would need to consider the smaller 200mm impeller with its 13-knot top speed. Faster than that and you’d need to look at a race model with a variable pitch.
Charging performance
Apart from price, the factors differentiating the various brands on the market are their charging performance and mounting system.
Eclectic Energy is the only manufacturer whose generators rectify the current on board to produce a DC output that can be wired directly to the batteries. This has the benefit of simplicity, but requires beefier cables running all the way from the generator to the batteries.
The Duo Gen hydrogenerator from Eclectic Energy
Watt&Sea’s hydrogenerator puts out a three-phase, low-amperage alternating current that runs through a DC converter. The converter monitors the battery voltage to determine whether it is in the higher power absorption phase or the lighter float phase of charging. After that, an electromagnetic brake stops the impeller if it’s spinning too fast and becoming dangerous.
Swi-Tec’s charge controller funnels all the power from the generator into the batteries until they reach a predetermined voltage. At this point, the MPPT (Maximum Power Point Tracking) algorithm reduces the charge to nearly nothing, a buzzer sounds to alert the skipper and the impeller brakes itself automatically. It can then be changed to ‘freewheel’, allowing the propeller to rotate freely.
The Remoran is perhaps the most ambitious of all, with a charge controller that can automatically detect the system voltage and then apply a ‘smart charging algorithm’. It also interacts with a smartphone app via Bluetooth, allowing you to keep a close eye on its performance and power output.
A Sail Gen hydrogenerator mounted on a yacht’s transom
Mounting systems
While Watt&Sea supplies a pod-based system that can be permanently fitted under the hull, a removable transom fitting is still the most popular choice, allowing the unit to be removed and stowed when not in use. Alignment, though, will have a significant impact on a hydrogenerator’s performance, with the best results coming from a clean, clear flow of water. Manufacturers therefore recommend an offset mounting outside a direct line with the rudder.
There is a balance to be struck, however, as heeling can make one tack more productive than the other. On twin-rudder boats, a central mount works well.
Swi-Tec and Watt&Sea both offer an optional pivoting mount for fitting to a raked stern, while the Remoran has in-built pivoting as standard, using a spring-loaded knob to tab between different settings and offering a rake of up to 40 degrees. Watt&Sea also offers different leg lengths to suit different installations, while the Remoran Wave 3 has a telescopic leg that can be adjusted by over 30cm.
Watt&Sea unit with an optional pivot mounting for attaching to a raked stern
The Seagen and Duo-Gen take a very different approach to mounting, with a flexible yoke providing a single point of attachment. The alternator is attached at this end, while the impeller is at the end of a 1.6m tube which can be fastened out of the water in a vertical position when not in use. ‘It means the units are not rigidly attached to the yacht but are free to pivot,’ explains Eclectic Energy’s Peter Andersen. ‘This de-couples the impeller from the hull movement, reducing stress on the mounting.’
Main propeller regeneration
While a standalone transom-mounted unit is the most common type of hydrogenerator technology, there is another approach – using your main propeller to ‘regenerate’ electricity whilst under sail.
Oceanvolt’s HighPower ServoProp
Fully electric propulsion from the likes of Oceanvolt and Bell Marine has long had this capability built in, as do systems from Torqeedo and ePropulsion. But parallel hybrid systems are also available, where an electric motor is installed alongside the engine to both generate electricity and drive the boat electrically. Lynch Motors in Devon has been supplying its permanent magnet DC motors to the Vendée Globe boats for years, purely as a re-generator, and now produces the flexible Red Snapper motor for cruising yachts.
The only problem with a regeneration system is that the pitch required for the propeller to drive the boat efficiently through the water may not always be the same as the pitch for optimum regeneration. ‘The lift surface on a propeller is on the wrong side for efficient extraction of energy from the water,’ explains Eclectic Energy’s Andersen.
Manufacturers have tackled this in different ways. Oceanvolt has developed its ServoProp for saildrives, which electronically adjusts its pitch depending on speed and function. The latest incarnation allows total 360-degree blade mobility and faces forwards, which increases efficiency, albeit at greater risk of collision damage. At six knots, it produces an astounding 1kW of power.
Bruntons has another solution with the cleverly engineered Autoprop, which automatically pitches up to match the boat speed. Its Ecostar version of the prop can generate 200W at five knots and up to 1kW at 10 knots when connected to an electric motor.
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Hydrogenerators – on test
If you’re planning to go long-distance cruising you’ll most likely be looking to fit one or more forms of power generation to avoid running your propulsion engine.
Thanks to modern alternator designs that offer increased power at lower rpm, hydro-generators are becoming a worthwhile investment for yachtsmen who regularly sail long passages. Yes, they do create a slight drag on the yacht under way, but only around 0.25kt or so, which is unlikely to worry most long-distance cruisers.
How do they work?
A hydro-generator has an impeller (reverse prop) that rotates when towed behind a yacht. That rotation is applied to an alternator, which produces AC power that is rectified to produce a DC charge for your batteries, in a similar way to a shore-powered battery charger.
Early models towed an impeller on a long line behind the boat, which was attached to an alternator on board. But their trailing impellers were often bitten off by large fish and they frequently tangled up when fouled or if not retrieved correctly. Current devices have an impeller attached to a submersible leg – not unlike an outboard motor.
Modern, brushless alternators with magnets have reduced turning resistance and increased efficiency, enabling them to produce more power at lower revs. A hydro-generator is an effective way to provide constant electrical charge over a long distance. On a 40ft yacht one of these can produce around 200Ah of charge every 24 hours at 6kt, which is enough to run most electrical items on board.
They also require little maintenance, other than weed clearance and periodic checking of the electrical connections.
Swi-Tec Hydrocharger
First this HG produced a high current flow, although not stable as it fluctuated considerably between readings. Hence the charge levels in our results table are derived from a mean between lowest and highest reading for each speed. The control box is liable to overheating, as the fan appears to be prone to failure. Our test team felt the box was more complicated than necessary.
- Verdict 6/10
Watt & Sea
We tried the 600W model with the mid-range impeller as that was more compatible with the others on test. Although not as powerful as the Save Marine and Swi-TEC HGs at the lowest and highest speeds, at a typical cruising speed of between 5-6kt the output is strong and, importantly, stable.
We liked the ease of installation and straightforward operation, including the simple ‘plug-and-play’ charge controller.
- Verdict 7/10
The SailGen is easy to mount and, having the heavy alternator at the boat end, is light and easy to deploy and lift. The dive plane idea works well and, though its real-time output is less than others, being always kept at the correct depth means its charge level is far more consistent.
- Verdict 8/10
The output is a bit lower than SailGen’s, which itself is middle of the range in comparison with all the others, but having the 2-in-1 option of a wind generator could be a real bonus for those planning to make long passages then coastal cruise in windy areas such as the Trades.
Save Marine
We liked the lightness and ease of deployment of the Save device, especially the arm that kept the lines tidy and secure. We also thought the turbine design to be innovative, quiet and very efficient. Finally, we loved the idea of the remote monitoring on a smart device, especially as the charge controller is fully automatic so there are no switches to be flicked or audible alarms to listen out for.
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Hydro Generators
Back in 1992, a friend of ours competed in the OSTAR (Observer Single-handed Transatlantic Race). Onboard electrical demands, especially from electronics, had recently grown, and he needed a charging source other than the engine. Marine wind generators were still unproven and solar panels were prohibitively expensive.
A group of us got together and bought for him a towed waterpowered generator for charging his batteries. He came back with good stories of how much electricity it produced—but alas, he lost the boat and generator 500 miles from the finish, so we never got a chance to try it ourselves.
The past decade has brought only greater demand for electrical power. That demand has made wind-powered generators commonplace and solar panel technology far less costly. In addition to the engine’s alternator, these are the most common charging sources for a boat at anchor or underway. However, we rarely hear anything about towed water-powered generators. Always on the prowl for alternative energy sources, we decided to try for ourselves a towed generator on a cruise from the US East Coast to Bermuda and back last summer.
HOW IT WORKS
The technology behind the towed generator is simple to understand. Its principle is very similar to the old Walker Log. As you sail, you tow behind the boat a spinning propeller on a long line that resists twisting. On the boat end of the line is a generator. As the boat moves through the water, the propeller spins, and the twist-resistant line transfers that spinning directly to the generator, which generates electricity. The faster the boat moves through the water, the more electricity is generated.
It’s worth remembering that it’s the movement of the boat through the water that turns the spinner, not the boat’s speed over the bottom. If a boat were anchored in a strong enough current with the towed generator behind, it could generate power. In this way, homesteaders living “off the grid” can make use of waterpowered generators if they live next to a fast-moving stream.
For more information on hydro generators, purchase Marine Electrical Systems, Vol. 4: Alternative Energy . Or, buy the entire Marine Electrical Systems six-part series!
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Reliable electricity
Hydrogenerator for sailboats
Hydrogenerator for sailboats. Keeps you powered during your sailing life!
Read on to find out how Remoran makes your life on-board easier.
Key Benefits
Power without the burn.
If you find yourself running your diesel motor or generator just to top up your batteries, Remoran Wave 3 is the solution for you.
With Remoran, sailing equals free energy. Up to 300 watts at 10 knots* means you'll arrive with batteries full! At the more typical speed of 6 knots* you will already receive 150 watts which is enough to help you avoid burning diesel to charge your batteries.
* Applies to the GS-variant. See below for details.
Unmatched convenience
Remoran Wave 3 requires no pampering. Just let it do it's job and enjoy sailing!
Using Remoran Wave 3 is a breeze. Just slot the outboard unit on the rail, connect the plug and you are ready to go. Remoran Charger 300W will fill your batteries while preventing overcharging. The outboard unit can stay in the water during your whole trip.
Remoran Wave 3 also works in parallel with solar panels and any other charging solutions without problems.
Works with other solutions
Remoran hydrogenerators work when solar and wind let you down.
Solar, wind and hydro are the main Green energy sources for sailors. All have their advantages and disadvantages. Remoran generates power whenever the boat moves, even at night or in cloudy weather unlike solar panels, and even when sailing with the wind, unlike wind turbines.
IMAGES
VIDEO
COMMENTS
Watt&Sea's hydrogenerators propose an energy self-sufficiency solution on board of cruise or race boats, in the respect of the environment. Stemmed from ocean racing research, the first Watt&Sea hydrogenerator gets started in 2008 with the objective of an optimal output associated to a negligible drag, letting the boat sail with a positive ...
As Sabrina Huet of Watt & Sea points out, hydro-generators are popular, "for the silence, the high production of (green) energy on fast boats and the possibility to get energy during the night, cloudy days and even when going downwind.". Looking at the power curve for the company's cruising unit, 5 knots of boat speed will produce around ...
Hydrogeneration is the most efficient form of sustainable auxiliary energy for yachts. The Watt&Sea is the most flexible in this respect. Its two models (300W and 600W maximum output) can be equipped with a 240mm diameter impeller or a 280mm unit. The difference in output is striking: at five knots boat speed, the smaller one produces 100W ...
A hydro-generator is an effective way to provide constant electrical charge over a long distance. On a 40ft yacht one of these can produce around 200Ah of charge every 24 hours at 6kt, which is enough to run most electrical items on board. They also require little maintenance, other than weed clearance and periodic checking of the electrical ...
The hydro generation or "creating energy while sailing" function is an automatic feature in all Oceanvolt motors. This feature is activated by pushing the button on the Oceanvolt displays for 5 seconds. The display will automatically switch to regeneration mode showing the current generated power, RPM and time until the batteries are fully ...
If a boat were anchored in a strong enough current with the towed generator behind, it could generate power. In this way, homesteaders living "off the grid" can make use of waterpowered generators if they live next to a fast-moving stream. For more information on hydro generators, purchase Marine Electrical Systems, Vol. 4: Alternative Energy.
The hydrogenerator POD 600 is THE innovating solution for sailing boats unable to fastened an hydrogenerator on their transom for technical, mechanical and aesthetic reasons. The hydrogenerator POD600 is delivered with a 100 mm aluminium leg; it will find its place under the hull of the boat to insure an on-board electrical output with the ...
Range, beyond battery capacity, is extended through hydro generation while sailing above 6kn. This can be complemented with either a portable AC generator or a DC generator (in larger boats or for long distance cruising). All Oceanvolt systems are engineered to operate at 48 volts for passenger safety and ease of repair.
Cruising 600. Up to 600W of hydroelectric energy production! The Cruising 600 is ideal for sailing boats over 35 feet. Available in two lengths to optimize the immersion of the propeller. Output power of the hydrogenerator increases exponentially when travelling over 6 knots, and operates best within 3 to 20 knots. Outputs 120W from 5 knots.
Remoran Charger 300W. Our custom intelligent charger is designed to work perfectly together with our generator. The charger is an essential part of an optimally working Remoran Wave 3 installation. It is always included in our sales package. Converts 3-phase AC electricity from the generator to DC voltage suitable for batteries.
The Racing Aluminium hydrogenerator is designed for high or very high speed sailing boats. It is equipped with a controlled pitch propeller, functionning electronically with an hydraulic pump. The propeller pitch is setting automatically depending on the boat speed, ensuring a minimal drag and an optimal energy output. This model is functional ...
Watt&Sea's award-winning hydro-generators have long been popular with both racers (for whom its products were first created) and cruisers. But what to do if you are, say, François Gabart aboard the maxi-tri Macif, a boat in which the main hull spends much of its time airborne?Enter Watt&Sea's new racing wind generator, created in partnership with Gabart and Macif: a magnificent piece of ...
10 Reasons to choose Watt&Sea. High electric output - 24 Amps at 7.5 knots of boat speed. Negligible drag because of leg and blade shape. A source of free green power. No need to run the engine to charge: saving in fuel consumption. Completely quiet. Lightweight. Easy to install, especially with the Hydrovane bracket. Maintenance-free.
from £108.00. Sold Out. Remoran Spare Turbine. £93.74. The Remoran Wave 3GD allows you to generate up to 300W of power without emitting any emissions as you sail your yacht. The Remoran range of marine hydrogenerators are supplied as a complete package ready for installation.
The hydrogenerator Save Marine reloads the batteries of your sailboat and brings electrical autonomy in order to ensure security and comfort on board. The electricity produced by the hydrogenerator is transmitted to batteries through the regulator to get an optimized current/voltage pair for batteries. The Save Marine H240 hydrogenerator is ...
The Watt & Sea hydro generator POD 600 is the innovative solution for sailing boats unable to fasten a hydro generator on the transom for either technical, mechanical or aesthetic reasons. Rigorously tested since 2014 by a few privileged sailors, the POD600 has been able to demonstrate its unique attributes. Invisible No complicated handling up and down Easy start-up Electrical output is the ...
Hydro Generation. At sailing speeds over 6 knots Oceanvolt systems are able to generate significant power for recharging the battery bank by activating at the touch of a button. ... Generators. For those interested in a hybrid solution, generators are a highly efficient way to extend range while at sea.
2.270 € *. (* Basic Version, incl. german tax) NEW: light and friction-free mounting base. The hydrogenerator glides on a detachable rail: The OceanPower advantages for you: generator runs nearly frictionless, therefore the power of the propeller is transmitted to the battery with very high efficiency, no dynamic seals means a minimum of wear ...
I carry a 200 AMP lithium bank on my boat. I have 750W of solar. I needed extra power to carry me through the night when sailing offshore I went with a Watt ...
The propeller supplied in standard with the CRUISING 300 hydrogenerator pack is the 240 mm model which allows to produce. It is the more "universal" model guaranteeing the energy self-sufficiency on most boats with a negligible drag. To produce at slowest speed, the 280 mm diameter is more efficient. To produce at higher speed to minimize ...
The Watt & Sea Cruising hydro-generator will cover your entire electrical system at 5 knots BSP and begin to pump out 500W at 8 knots. Watt & Sea is distributed exclusively by Kiwi Yachting Consultants in Australia and New Zealand and is available now through boat builders and marine retailers nationwide.
Watt and Sea, sail aboard cruising or racing sailboats with hydrogenerators. Watt and Sea is present in the Vendée Globe.
cruising sailboat hydrogenerator CRUISING 600. for boats. Contact. Up to 600W of electrical production, ideal for sailing boats over 35 feet. For cruises, races and transatlantics, in total energy self-sufficiency. The output power increases in an exponential way over 6 knots.