A Congolese student invents a thermal boat in Goma

A student has just built a motorboat powered by two alternating energy sources: an internal combustion engine with a rotational speed of 350 revolutions per minute and a solar panel. His name is Victoire Chituli Daniel. To create this project, the 2023 State Exam graduate said he applied the concepts of electricity he learned in school, in addition to his own in-depth research. Reached by phone by the Communications Management Directorate of the Ministry of EPST, the young inventor explained that this motorboat contains all the components necessary to power its movement. “It’s a boat that functions like other boats despite its size. I’ve already tested it on Lake Kivu and it worked perfectly,” he said. This boat, which is 2.6 meters long and 1 meter wide with a capacity for two people, can reach a speed of 45 km/h. It consists of a radiator (which cools the engine using air and water), a rudder, a propeller, and a stern tube. “This boat goes 45 km/h. I built it as a prototype, but I’m capable of building boats that can carry even dozens of people. To build this boat, I used metal and installed a modified engine that isn’t designed for marine use,” he explained. Faced with the recurring problem of fuel shortages—which have caused several shipwrecks on Lake Kivu—Victoire Chituli expressed his desire to improve his invention so that it will operate without fuel and using solar energy. As a reminder, this student graduated from the electrical engineering program at the Mama Sophie School Complex, located in the Himbi urban subdivision within the North Kivu 1 educational province. Cheta Birhashwirwa Riziki & Ouriel Mangitukwa