Solar Powered Tour Boat

[Joe Blake]

http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/6997/


Well, well. Looks pretty good. Even feeds into the grid occasionally.

Joe

[Ralph Day]

I can only hope that Kawasaki, Bombardier and the like will get the message about watercraft and renewable energy. I might not have such homocidal thoughts about "personal watercraft" if they were electric. Quieter, safer, and with a self regulating time limit on ridership!

ralph

[Mark Parsons]

When you think about it, it is like a new era in sailing technology. I read somewhere that between 1 - 3% of the sun's energy striking the earth is converted to wind. When sailing using the sun's energy directly you have 97% more power available than wind. Even with todays best PV cells at 20% or so efficiency, it is comparable to 700% more than wind.

I'm thinking Cristopher Columbus was wishing for some PV panels when he wandered into the Sargasso Sea and spent weeks trying to get out.

http://www.solarnavigator.net/transatlantic_21.htm

Mark

[Joe Blake]

http://www.gizmag.com.au/go/7262/

Good job, people.

JOe

[Stewart Corman]

just read these articles and it seems obvious to me (probably the only one) that the time will come whereby solar cells are made from polymer material that could also function as semi-ridged sail sections (ala tall ships?). When wind is nill, angle the sails towards the sun for optimum energy collection.
Maybe even the wind power design that Jaques Cousteau's Turbo-sail , but use the external tower to provide solar platform and bag the diesels
http://www.cousteau.org/en/downloadfiles/alcyone_and_turbosail.pdf

BTW ...Costeau's idea was done in the 20's:
http://www.answers.com/topic/flettner-ship

Stew Corman from sunny Endicott