HOW WORDEN MARINE CAME TO BE
Dream it.
It all began with James Worden and his passion to build a solar car. He won first place at the Massachusetts State Science Fair, thus securing him a spot at the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Class of 1989. While at MIT, Worden founded and led the legendary MIT Solar Electric Vehicle Team.
Build it.
At MIT, Worden met his wife Anita Rajan, Class of 1990, who shared his passion for innovation and learning. The two of them went on to co-found Solectria Corporation, a manufacturer of electric and hybrid vehicles and components, which they launched in 1989 and sold in 2005. The couple continued their success with Solectria Renewables, which they grew into one of the world’s leading manufacturers of commercial photovoltaic inverters. In 2014, they successfully sold the company to Yaskawa America, Inc.
Pictured above: James founded the first solar race car team in the United States and built multiple race cars for competitions in Switzerland, Australia, USA, and Canada. His first-place winnings in many events helped promote the sport and spur the development of solar and electric vehicle technology. NASA Astronaut Gene Cernon rides in Solectria 2 with James Worden in 1988 during a Discovery TV Show filming. Anita loved every aspect of solar electric cars. Worden Marine was the perfect next venture because of her love of water. She was never far from water as she grew up in Algeria, Florida, and attended college on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA.
Grow it.
Building on a legacy of 35+ years experience in solar energy, advanced composites materials and electric vehicle drive trains, James and Anita ushered in a future of clean net-zero marine transportation and founded, Worden Marine LLC. After Anita’s passing in 2023, James has continued to grow the company and make it a leader in solar electric boating.
Worden Marine has a long historic legacy going back to the 1800s. James Worden is a collateral descendent of the Admiral John L. Worden. Like James, he was committed to innovation on the seas. On March 9, 1862, Lieutenant Worden commanded the USS Monitor, of the US Navy, which fought the CSS Virginia. This was the first ever battle of ironclad vessels which forever changed naval technology and is one of the most famous naval battles in American history and just in time as the Virginia had just destroyed two USS wooden warships the day before the Monitor arrived.
Decades of work in advanced electric vehicles and solar energy systems provides a basis of knowledge and is relevant for application to solar marine vessels.
Solectria Force sets a new standard for cold weather performance, 1992.
Solectria E-10 pickup truck takes world record for 24-hour EV range at Atlanta Motor Speedway, 1994.
Solectri Sunrise all composite EV sets all-time single charge range record at 373 miles at the American Tour de Sol, 1996.
Solectria Force with solar option, 1992.
Solectria Force sedan at SCCA slalom at American Tour de Sol Race, 1996.
Solectria enters series production of Force EV changing EV history, 1992.
All Composite Solectria Sunrise Sedan
The composite structures and technology from this project are relevant to Worden Marine's all-composite marine vessel work. With a long history of high-tech structures, putting strength and safety factors only where they are needed has been a hallmark of the team's history in designing state of the art products.
Sunrise sedan structural “Body in White”, with strategically placed Carbon fiber, fiberglass, advanced core materials and epoxy resins, weighed in at just 300lb.
Sunrise design work made use of extensive FEA to optimize advanced composite material usage to achieve minimum weight while meeting strength and safety requirements.
Sunrise aerodynamics in a stylish design was optimized and tested.
Sunrise all-composite electric sedan was unveiled in 1994 in Anaheim, CA.
Sunrise crash test proved the design for safety yielding top performing results.
Sunrise advanced lightweight propulsion system was specifically designed for premium efficiency.
Solar Energy Components and Systems
With multi-MW solar generation stations, reliability, safety and uptime is paramount and at Solectria Renewables LLC, power electronic products were developed to excel at the application.
Quality production lines with continuous process improvement were developed at Solectria Renewables LLC for electronic products and complete systems.
An example of a 1.5MW node with two 750kW inverters at a massive multi-MW solar power plant. The power electronics run 10-12 hours per day in all weather conditions.