SF State Engineers Shine in Their Debut at the 2025 California Solar Regatta

On Saturday, May 3, 2025, in the shadow of the decommissioned Rancho Seco Nuclear Generating Station, San Francisco State University competed for the first time in the California Solar Regatta. Hosted by Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) to promote sustainable energy, this event featured a series of solar-powered boat races and technical presentations. While SF State engineering students, including Team Lead Bianca Herrera, have been working to build the team since 2022, design and construction of the boat began with the start of this semester.

Classroom instruction provides the critical foundation for engineering, but practical, hands-on experiences like this competition enable students to engage fully in the engineering design process. Through the project, students honed essential professional skills, including:

            •          Interpreting and applying technical requirements

            •          Managing timelines and budgets

            •          Collaborating effectively in teams

            •          Communicating design decisions

            •          Working with suppliers and vendors

            •          Building, testing, and refining prototypes

            •          Evaluating performance and troubleshooting systems

            •          Prioritizing safety and regulatory compliance

The students who worked on this project and competed in the California Solar Regatta gained skills engineering managers look for when building teams. They also gain valuable experience in designing, building, and operating watercraft.  As Lead Pilot Nathan Moua shared, 

“Had such a fun experience with you guys, kinda sad that this season has ended.”

One of the priorities of this project is sustainability, which heavily influences material choices. When asked about the choice to use wood, Team Lead Bianca Herrera explained: 

“We actually do have the facility to 3D-print parts for free. So that is an option that we had, but we considered that and we thought, no, we actually want to be as sustainable as we can”.

She emphasized that wood is both renewable and re-workable. Whereas 3D-printed and other materials tend to be disposed of during design iterations.

As this was SF State’s first year in the competition, the primary goal was to build a functioning boat, bring it to the site, pass the qualification inspections and compete in at least one event. The team not only achieved this but far exceeded expectations: they successfully completed every race shown below (Sprint, Slalom and Endurance), a feat matched by only 3 other boats out of the 10 participating teams. And they were competitive in some categories, placing 4th in the endurance run. All while competing against much more experienced and better-funded teams.

“The fact that we were 1 of 4 to complete all the races is amazing and blows all my expectations out of the water. Zero tech issues, no failures or repairs...it was great!” - Mathieu DePaul, Chief Technical Officer

The team is excited to start creating the next iteration of the vessel and competing with it at the 2026 California Solar Regatta!

Joshua Mehlman, Solar Regatta Team Mentor

IEEE SFSU Chapter