History

The Solarwave 46 was the first ocean-going yacht which exclusively used solar energy, not only for actual propulsion, but also to provide energy to all household appliances on board. This included everything ranging from cooktops, stoves and the freezer to the air conditioning, washing-machine and water-maker.

In 2010, a rigorous four-year sea trial was initiated in which Michael & Heike crossed the entire continent of Europe by river, sailed the dangerous Black Sea, the stormy Aegean as well as the vast Mediterranean Sea. Throughout the journey, the Solarwave 46 not only accommodated them with convenient amenities such as on-board water production, cooling and heating, but also their eight guests with all the comfort they needed for a period of 120 weeks.

Furthermore, the 46 was able to power the engines every day in all kinds of weather: rain, cloudy sky, sun, snowfall, ice and even storms of Force 9. Crucially, during the four-year voyaging there were no maintenance or repair works required on the solar panels, the batteries or the electric drivetrain.

The generator, which had to be on board for safety reasons, was working for less than 50 hours during those 48 months – primarily to avoid it becoming corroded. By comparison, the electric motors operated for more than 2.000 hours for the same period of time with no maintenance needed.

After all those years of dedicated trials, it was clear beyond doubt that the solar electric drivetrain Michael & Heike had developed was the most effective, efficient and reliable choice for nautical propulsion and self-sufficient sailing, facilitating a fully independent on-board lifestyle.

In 2016 Silent Yachts was created. Since then the company has successfully developed several full production solar-electric yacht models. The 60, 80 and 120 Series form the cornerstones of the current Silent model range. In addition, Silent Tenders and Silent Speedboats were launched in 2022, further complementing the experience on board of our yachts. The tenders are designed to be mountable and chargeable onboard; while the speedboats provide incredible performance demonstrating that electric boating can be exhilarating as well.

Being the first series producer of solar electric yachts, we have always been dedicated towards leading the industry with the latest technology. In today´s world, technology is progressing constantly at a very high pace. A new e-ra is upon us, where small percentage gains in solar cell and battery technologies create ever improving performance. When these gains are combined with even more efficient systems, the result are future-proof yachts which rather than becoming outdated actually improve over time.

This is due the central ability that all Silent designs can be upgraded with ease when better architectures become available. Original used units can also be repurposed for domestic or commercial use. The integration of such circularities is of the key benefits our approach.

In addition to designing and making the world’s most efficient and effective solar boats, our brands longer term ambitions centre around the establishment of a Silent World and Community, where wider lifestyle infrastructure seamlessly integrates with the Silent yachting and living experience. The first important step in this agenda was the partnership with Silent Resorts in 2020: an initiative providing ultra-sustainable residences in carefully-designed, environmentally-sympathetic environments that complement the overarching Silent experience.

In widespread recognition of the company’s expertise and achievements, Silent has received many awards honouring the research, development and expertise invested into our innovative technologies.