Solar Sailor from Australia came up with a solar panel that could be used on ships as sails in order to turn them into hybrids. The technology is used by a tour boat in Sydney Harbor - 8 small solar sails - which, still has an engine, but carries people mosty by wind and solar power, consuming only 1/10th of fuel.
In San Francisco, Hornblower Yachts are trying to get the Coast Guard approval to building a solar powered ferry (pictured above) for passengers and if they get it the ship should be ready by 2009 with a total cost of $8.5 million. The boat will be 15-meters long, only one (big) sale that cost $1.5 million and studies revealed that it would be able to go several knots only on power wind, even if the solar panels are not flexible (they are solid).Created with the assitance of a German company, these solar panels developed by Solar Sailor are lighter than common sillicon solar panels and will be used for a 150-passenger ship in Shanghai and 100-passenger ferries in Hong Kong.
That's what I mean when I'm talking about green energy.
via Crave
Sponsored link: Because not all tools can be stored in your biz - Philadelphia Locksmith
The first thing that hit me when I saw the illustration was the ships in Kim Stanley Robinson's over 20 year old Pacific Edge (http://www.amazon.com/Pacific-Edge-Three-Californias-Triptych/dp/0312890389)
set in near-future California (though Orange County). Probably spurred on by the illustrations on the front page of the edition I have.
I don't remember i they actually were meant to have solar power, but even the idea of building highly automated sail ships with engines mainly as a "backup" (of which there are now a few, though they're still a novelty) is intriguing.
Posted by: Vidar Hokstad | November 17, 2007 8:22 AM | Permalink to Comment