Solar Splash is a paragon of design competitions, in which engineers strive to create the most maneuverable, most efficient, and fastest solar boat that the sun can power. Cedarville University has established itself as one of the world's elite solar boating teams, having claimed the title of Solar Splash World Champions in six of the past eight years. The latest Solar Splash victory was won this past June by the slimmest of margins over the Univerity of New Orleans School of Naval Architecture, who were the 2010 champions.

Having won Solar Splash in 2004 and 2005, Cedarville decided to expand its field of competition in 2006. Not only did the team race in the Solar Splash competition, but it also competed in the inaugural Frisian Solar Challenge, a six-day test of endurance against some of Europe's finest universities, corporations, and boat makers.

Competing in these two disparate events, Cedarville finished in second place in both the Solar Splash competition and Class A of the Frisian Solar Challenge. In 2007, the team turned its full attention to the Solar Splash competition and regained its current place as world champions. In the summer of 2008, Cedarville returned to defend its title, setting a new points record.

On May 31, 2009, Cedarville won its record 5th Solar Splash World Championship and has now surpassed the four titles ('94, '95, '96, '99) of Kanazawa Institute of Technology (Japan) and the University of South Carolina at Columbia's three ('98, '00, '01).

In 2010, the team once again set its goal of competing in the Frisian Solar Challenge in the Netherlands, and Solar Splash. The team tackled the tough job of designing an entirely new hull for the Top Class of the Frisian race, new solar arrays, new peak power trackers, and a new motor. While the team made excellent progress towards these goals and worked as hard an any other team, not all the components were perfected causing the team to withdraw from the Frisian race; circumstances at Solar Splash caused the team to drop to a fifth place finish. However, the motor built in 2010, was instrumental in winning the 2011 championship.

As we look forward to 2012, Cedarville seeks to defend its title in the Solar Splash World Championship. In addition, the team will be returning to the Dong Frisian Solar Challenge in the Netherlands, competing against top scholastic and industrial solar boat teams, mainly from Europe. The team aims to compete in the Top Class and improve from its 2006 performance.

For more information on Cedarville University's Solar Boat Team, please contact Dr. Timothy Dewhurst.