More than a decade before solar-integrated surfaces became an industry talking point, Praxis pioneered it. Its proprietary nano-composite solar technology traces back to intellectual property first filed in 2008 and is the product of eighteen years of materials research and real-world results. Praxis has been proven in the field for years, and the clients who moved early are already realising the benefits.
Palm Beach 65 – design-engineered with Praxis solar technology
The Palm Beach 65 makes her show debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival featuring Praxis solar technology. She is the culmination of a relentless pursuit of excellence – a key mutual objective of both Palm Beach Motor Yachts and Praxis. With a luxurious and spacious interior designed to the highest standards, this yacht is perfect for those who value performance and customization. Like all Palm Beaches, the 65 offers an exceptionally smooth, safe, and fuel-efficient ride.
Grand Banks & Palm Beach – endorsed by one of sailing’s most decorated names
Mark Richards, CEO and Chief Designer of Grand Banks and Palm Beach, is one of Australian sailing’s most decorated figures, having skippered Wild Oats XI to nine-line honours victories in the Rolex Sydney Hobart Yacht Race, competed in two America’s Cup campaigns, and won both the Admiral’s Cup and the World Match Racing Tour. He continues his pursuit of silver with the supermaxi Palm Beach XI racing sailing yacht.
The Grand Banks Marine Group has fitted Praxis solar technology across models in both the Grand Banks and Palm Beach ranges. For a marque with such pedigree to choose Praxis as its solar technology partner is a powerful testament to the trust placed in Praxis and its market redefining technology. Praxis solar technology is now specified across the Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts range, including the GB65, GB62, GB54, PB70, PB42, PB85, PB65, PB50, GT60 and GT50.
‘For us, our focus remains on employing innovation and technology to make our boats better, yet simpler to maintain and enjoy. The independence of the electrical system is a key component to this mission, and meets our criteria of robust and reliable components, backed by a company who are like-minded innovators and stand behind their product,’
Mark Richards, CEO and Chief Designer, Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motor Yachts
The Praxis Advantage – thin, lightweight and load-bearing
Praxis has built a fundamentally different category of solar technology. As Praxis solar is a composite, its optically transparent nano-composite skin with embedded solar cells can be engineered either directly into the structure it powers – laminated into a hull, hardtop or deck at the mould stage where it becomes structural and load bearing or fitted to an existing surface as a retrofit. Conventional rigid solar panels or plastic panels can only ever be bolted on top as an afterthought; they cannot be built into the structure itself. Praxis solar technology panels are less than 2mm thick and up to 85% lighter than a conventional rigid rooftop panel, therefore the material is walkable and mouldable to follow complex curves across multiple planes, integral to the structure and aesthetics of a luxury motor yacht.
‘Every surface that sees the sun can capture energy and we build the technology that proves it. Praxis was never trying to just build a better solar panel. We reconceived what a solar panel could be, and we demonstrated it in the toughest operating environment there is – the open ocean. The brands who partnered with us early are already ahead. The rest of the industry is only just starting to ask the questions we answered years ago,’
Rory Linehan, Chief Executive Officer, Praxis (former BAE Systems and McLaren)
Praxis’ systems are already specified across the ranges of some of the most respected yacht brands including Palm Beach, Grand Banks and Riviera, and have been independently tested by Australian Government defence technology company, Ocius. These partnerships illustrate why the world’s most exacting marine brands chose Praxis well before the rest of the industry started looking.
The future of solar technology began decades ago
Praxis’ nano-composite material conforms to any geometry (horizontal and vertical), unlike rigid fixed-format panels, therefore turning hardtops, decks and superstructures into productive solar capturing surfaces without disrupting a yacht’s silhouette. Its distributed arrays mirror the resilience nature itself uses to collect solar energy akin to a tree canopy.
Praxis built this technology starting in 2008, years before solar-integrated surfaces became an industry ambition. The marine brands and defence platforms it works with are already realising that advantage, giving their owners and operators the benefits others are still describing as a future possibility.
It’s often the quiet advantage that makes the most impact.
Visit the Palm Beach 65 show debut, fitted with Praxis solar technology at the Cannes Yachting Festival from the 8th – 13th September.