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Hallgatói portál

Dutch Weather, Dutch Triumph at the CoreComm Solar Boat Challenge 2025

The University ֱ organized the CoreComm Solar Boat Challenge, an international solar boat competition, for the third time last weekend in Balatonalmádi. Eleven teams competed in this spectacular clash of student-developed watercraft: two Hungarian (including the University ֱ), two Polish, and seven Dutch university teams. In typically “Dutch” weather – windy, at times cool and cloudy – the teams from the Netherlands proved to be the strongest. Still, the true stakes of the competition lay in creativity, problem-solving, and international cooperation.

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The University ֱ, as the university of the Balaton region, is committed to sustainability and innovation, which made it a natural choice to host an engineering competition closely tied to water. Young engineering students lined up with their self-developed, solar-powered boats, facing not only each other but also the forces of nature.

“Our world is full of complex problems, and the future of humanity depends on how we manage to deal with them,” said Dr. János Abonyi, Rector of the University ֱ, evaluating the competition. He added: “The Solar Boat Challenge is a fantastic opportunity for young people to learn problem-solving in an international environment, in a playful yet challenging way, to develop their creativity, and to experience what it means to work together toward a common goal.”

At the three-day event, competition was not the only focus—cooperation and knowledge-sharing were equally central. Teams learned from each other’s experiences, exchanged development methods, and jointly sought solutions to technical and weather-related challenges. “For the University ֱ, the Solar Boat Challenge embodies everything that matters,” the Rector emphasized. “This competition simultaneously represents our commitment to sustainability, our encouragement of creativity, and our sense of social responsibility.”

While last year’s longest completed stage was 92 kilometers under ideal weather conditions, this year’s endurance race winner finished at 73 kilometers—which, according to the race judges, still ranks as the second-longest solar boat distance in the world.

Despite the challenges, a new track record was also set:

  • The HAN Solarboat Team (Netherlands) reached a top speed of 48 km/h, breaking last year’s record of 47 km/h.

  • The newcomer Solar Team Twente (Netherlands) capsized twice—once during preparations and once in the endurance race—yet they managed to repair their boat and ultimately secured 4th place overall, a remarkable engineering achievement.

FINAL RESULTS

  1. Sunflare Solarteam (Netherlands)

  2. HAN Solarboat (Netherlands)

  3. WhisperPower Solar Team (Netherlands)

The University ֱ’s own boat, Sparky of the Pannon Solar Team, also performed well in this strong international field.

Further information:
Nikolett Kiss, Head of Department
Communications and Protocol Department
Communications Directorate
Phone: +36 20 466-3798
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.