# Solar Panels on the Sides of the Seastead: Feasibility & Cost-Benefit Analysis
Seastead Side Solar Analysis
☀️ Seastead Side-Mounted Solar: Analysis & Recommendation
Can we harvest meaningful energy from the walls and foil legs? How much, at what cost, and is it worth it?
1. Geometry of the Surfaces
867 ft²
Wall Surface Area
(3 equilateral-triangle walls × 41.3 ft × 7 ft)
121 ft²
Foil Legs Above Water
(3 legs × NACA 0030 curved surface, ~7.25 ft above WL)
988 ft²
Total Side Surface Area
~840 ft²
Usable for Panels
(after framing, ladders, conduits ≈ 85% coverage)
Wall Geometry (Equilateral Triangle, 41.3 ft per side)
The three walls are flat surfaces. Each wall is tilted 60° from horizontal (equivalently, 30° from vertical) because the equilateral triangle's edges make a 60° angle with the horizontal plane of the deck. Each wall's outward-facing normal vector points outward and upward at 30° from vertical.
| Wall | Normal Azimuth
(relative to forward) | Width | Height | Area |
|---|
| Left (Port) | +150° (forward-left) | 41.3 ft | 7 ft | 289 ft² |
| Right (Starboard) | −150° (forward-right) | 41.3 ft | 7 ft | 289 ft² |
| Back (Stern) | 180° (rearward) | 41.3 ft | 7 ft | 289 ft² |
Foil Leg Geometry (NACA 0030, 8.5 ft chord)
Each foil leg is a symmetric airfoil standing vertically in the water. The upper half (~7.25 ft) is above the waterline. The curved outer surface of the foil is available for panels. The NACA 0030 profile has a maximum thickness of 2.55 ft (30% of the 8.5 ft chord). The surface of the foil curves inward from the leading edge (blunt, 2.55 ft wide) to the trailing edge (blunt after truncation, ~0.7 ft wide).
The wetted surface of the upper half of one foil leg is approximately 40 ft² (accounting for the curvature of the NACA 0030 profile). Three legs yield about 121 ft² total.
2. Why the Seastead Is a Good Platform for Side Solar
A fixed building on land has one south-facing wall (in the Northern Hemisphere) that gets good sun exposure; its other walls get much less. The seastead is fundamentally different:
- Rotation: The seastead slowly rotates as it drifts with waves and currents. Over the course of a day, all three walls end up facing toward or away from the sun at different times. This means all three walls contribute approximately equally over time.
- Complementary timing: The nearly-vertical walls catch sunlight at low sun angles (early morning, late afternoon, and through thin cloud cover) — precisely when rooftop panels are least effective. Side panels fill the "shoulder" hours of the solar day.
- Ocean reflection: The ocean surface reflects sunlight (1–15% depending on sun angle) upward, where it can hit the lower portions of the walls. This is a free energy bonus that land-based buildings don't get.
- Diffuse light: Even under overcast skies, the walls receive diffuse radiation from the bright sky dome and reflected light from the ocean, providing some generation in poor weather.
3. Solar Irradiance on the Walls — The Physics