Nothing beats the freedom of sailing, but the need to generate your own power can be a noisy, costly and frustrating experience. A diesel generator can cover the basics, as long as you are prepared to run the engine for long periods on a daily basis and don’t mind the side effects of smell and pollution.
Now you can really set yourself free with an environmentally-sound alternative power source that provides all your energy needs in a quiet, compact and vibration-free generator.
The Emerald from Voller Energy uses the very latest fuel cell technology to offer the same effective performance as a typical 5kVA diesel generator. As well as power, Emerald also provides hot water and space-heating and can even support an air conditioning system.
The Voller Emerald system runs on low-cost LPG or propane and is both quiet and emission free. Installation is simple, with no need for through-the-hull fittings.
The system works by constantly monitoring your boat batteries and automatically recharging them when required, matching your individual on-board power demand. The life of these batteries is also extended by providing constant on-demand charging, avoiding the damaging power surges caused by conventional diesel generator systems.
Emerald frees the sailor to power fridges or TVs, games consoles or 240v equipment like electric kettles, hair dryers or even a major appliance such as a washing machine.
In practical terms, the modern electronic kit that many boats use as standard – autopilots, computers, GPS and instrument systems – all represent a drain on the boat’s power resources. Emerald offers a level of performance that delivers the power for this essential equipment plus the luxuries of on-board life, packaged in a clean, green and lean product.
Voller Energy is a member of the British Marine Federation (BMF) and of the Marine Engine & Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEEMA).
What the Press Say
From The Daily Sail - February 2007
A more recent development is on the charging side, with the advent of fuel cells. These come with significant benefits over conventional diesel generators. For readers not up to speed with this Star Trek-sounding technology, a fuel is similar to a battery, except that where batteries are for the most part 'closed cell' (ie what's in there doesn't change until the cell runs 'out of juice'), a fuel cell requires a regular supply of fuel for its anode and 'oxidant' for its cathode - imagine a replenishing battery. While anode and cathode are constantly refuelled, a fuel cell also contains a fixed electrolyte just as a conventional battery has.
We'll spare you the explanation of how fuel cells work at an electron level, except to say that they do work but in a slightly different way - they are more efficient the less current is applied to them. While typical lead-acid battery cells produce 1.5v, an individual fuel cell will produce 0.86v, and so like conventional batteries they tend to be clustered to output in the region of 30-50v. There are significant benefits of charging batteries from a fuel cell over a conventional diesel generator on a race boat. Firstly there is weight. A typical 5kVA diesel generator weighs around 170-180kg and it is recommended that this is fitted with an anti-vibration base place weighing another 100kg.
In comparison an equivalent fuel cell weighs just 50kg and no antivibration plate or dampening is needed because the fuel cell, like a battery, has no moving parts. No moving parts should also allow the fuel cell greater reliability compared to its mechanical competition.
Fuel cells have been around for some years - the principle was conceived in 1839 but working units of any usable size only came into existence in the 1950s and were subsequently used in the US Space Program - but it is only in the last few years that they have become in any way practical for the average user, due to the inconvenient products required as 'fuel' and 'oxidant'.
