From Berlin to the Mediterranean by Boat: the Vision of the WannSea Project Laboratory

Source: https://www.tu.berlin/en/news/interviews/monaco-energy-boat-challenge-2023/wannsea Parent: https://www.tu.berlin/en/studying

WannSea is the name of a student project laboratory at TU Berlin - a play on words that links Wannsee (a lake in south-west Berlin) and the Mediterranean Sea. But it is not just the name of the project that is bringing the Mediterranean and Berlin closer together: The plan is for a boat built by a team of TU Berlin students to take part in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC) in July 2023. This would be the first time a German team has competed in the Energy Class of this international regatta featuring more than 30 teams - an ambitious undertaking! The boat they are planning is unusual in that it will be powered using renewable energies only. This will be achieved using the magic formula of an efficient electric motor, hydrogen fuel cells and solar panels.

The idea was dreamed up by TU Berlin Industrial Engineering and Management student Riccardo Petschke while working from home during the pandemic. His hobby is sailing on the Wannsee – preferably when there are no noisy motorboats about polluting the air with the smell of gasoline. Based on his experiences, he began to develop a wish in the first semesters of the pandemic to do something for sustainable shipbuilding – not only with regard to motorboats, but also ocean-going giants like cargo ships, whose extremely high greenhouse gas emissions are a contributing factor in climate change. “Sometimes ideas like these are born out of a sense of boredom,” Riccardo says reflecting on one positive aspect to emerge during the pandemic.

Boats competing in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge

Riccardo Petschke in his role as team captain.

Easy though his idea may sound, it actually involved a great deal of work. Key factors were the extensive research required and the steps involved in applying for and setting up a project laboratory. This included finding 38 equally enthusiastic students from a wide range of subject areas, researchers to provide expert advice, and the sponsors necessary to get the project off the ground. Taken together, these challenges turned his work as a project laboratory tutor into a full-time job.

However, despite all this hard work, nothing would have been possible without the help of others. Invaluable support in the form of technical expertise was provided by the Chair of Ocean Engineering – Design and Operation of Maritime Systems.

The finance department also helped by assigning WannSea the status of a commercial operation. This enables the project to operate in the long term as a student technology project - similar to the student racing initiative FastTUBe - and thus attract third-party funding.

What are project laboratories?

It is never too soon to start working independently. At TU Berlin, students with ideas for their own projects have the chance to study independent of professors and lecturers. Project laboratories and tu projects address aspects of sustainability not yet covered in the standard teaching program. Sustainability is not just part of the content of project laboratories, it lies at the very heart of the concept. The four-semester schedule means it is often possible to permanently integrate individual successful teaching modules or concepts into regular teaching at TU Berlin.

The project is still looking for sponsors to help cover the considerable costs involved as well as suitable spaces to work in. Until now, WannSea has been able to use space provided by the Heylige Frau Latte student initiative. However, this will not be possible in the long term. “Having space where you can plan and build or prepare some food or even just sit together is incredibly important for building team spirit,” says Riccardo. The team took a first step towards acquiring sponsorship by winning the 4Campus idea competition run by the Science and Startups network. Now, it is a question of acquiring the money needed for the different components of the boat.

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If everything goes as planned, WannSea will be able to set sail in the MEBC Regatta off the Bay of Monaco in 2023. To help the cause, Riccardo engaged in a little “espionage” over the summer. "I asked successful teams some detailed questions about technology and constructing boats, made extensive notes and passed on what I had learned to my teammates back home.” The team lost no time in turning his findings into presentations and analyses. One simple conclusion emerged: The more sponsors you have, the greater your chances of winning.

But for Riccardo and his team, it is more than just about winning. "We want to drive true innovation which can then perhaps be used in shipbuilding. For example, we can imagine using waterproof mushrooms as an ultralight building material for boats." Plans for winter semester 2022/23 are a little more tangible. WannSea is looking for new students and wants to develop further as a student initiative with a base of enthusiastic students. The long-term goal is to establish WannSea as a second permanent student technical project at TU Berlin alongside FastTUBe.

Author: Anna Groh

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