I thought this was a cool concept and I wanted to
share it; Suntech-Guosheng Ferry Uses a Solar Sail for Power.
The
Suntech-Guosheng ferry made its maiden voyage on June 5th, 2010. At
31.5 meters or 103 feet in length, the ferry set sail on the Huangpu River in
Shanghai, as part of the Shanghai World Expo. The vessel features proprietary
'solarsail' technology developed by Australia-based Solar Sailor, a leading
innovator in maritime solar technology. The boat is a series hybrid, meaning
its propellers are driven solely by electric power, generated by the sun or by the
diesel engine that acts as a secondary source of power.
In theory the boat would the ferry’s moving photovoltaic sails would not only track
the sun to gather energy, but also serve as sails, giving the boat various
power source options such as solar, diesel or wind power. When docked, the
boats panels would still gather solar energy, which they would feed into the
power grid that would either store the collected energy or use it directly to
power the ferry.
The owners
of the ferry are Suntech Power one of the world’s largest producer of crystalline
silicon solar panels, and Shanghai Guosheng Group which is a Chinese
state-owned investment holding company.
