8.05.08 Solar Sailor subsidiary wins second US Navy contract for Unmanned Ocean Vehicles
10.03.08 Solar Ferry A Bright Idea - SBS TV
January 08 Solar Sailor featured on CNN
14.01.08 Solar Sailor technology used on successful "Crossing of the Ditch"
November 07 Report of shipping-related PM emissions causes 60,000 deaths a year
29.11.07 Solar Sailor has successful AGM
Solar Sailor on San Francisco KTVU News
KTVU News | 15/06/06
The Ten O'Clock News
Sailing across the bay may become more environmentally friendly if a new kind of ferry boat catches on. It's called a Solar Sailor, using the sun and the wind as well as diesel fuel and two of them have already been ordered to ferry tourists to Alcatraz Island. Consumer Editor, Tom Vacar: |
View video |
(WMV file, 10MB) "I think a solar powered ferry that employs wind power would be a very attractive thing." - Glenn Meisenheimer, commuter
This is a model of the 600 passenger Solar Sailor. It works on the same principle as a hybrid car, using a battery powered electric motor and sail for low speeds, switching to a more traditional but highly advanced diesel engine for high speeds.
"Up to about 8 knots, its electric, battery and supplementing that with solar. Once you want to go faster than that, yes you do have to burn fossil fuels. Using the hybrid technology, you would save, depending on the run somewhere between 50 to 60% of the fuel." - Robert Dane, Solar Sailor Holdings
And this is no pie in the sky. This working, 100 passenger hybrid has been successfully plying Australia's Sydney harbour for 5 years now. The bay area version will have an even more sophisticated system to take advantage of the often windswept bay.
"The solar panel can act as a sail, and through computers, adjust to the sun and the wind." Robert Dane, Solar Sailor
Some bay area environmentalists, often critical of the current fleet of smoky diesel powered ferries, say this makes even more sense as fossil fuel prices climb.
"Its a huge difference in terms of the emissions and the amount of fuel that you're going to be using." - Teri Shore, Bluewater Network
At about 5 million dollars each, a Solar Sailor will cost a million and a half dollars more than one of the current generation of ferries.
"On the current price of marine diesel, the payback period for that one and a half million dollar extra cost is now three and a half years. "- Robert Dane
Far better fuel economy, far less pollution.
"So its a win-win all around." Teri Shore
Besides its solar panels, the ferry will be plugged into shore power every night to ensure adequate battery power during the day. PG&E says there's a big advantage to that.
"It's a wonderful economic driver when you're going to pay 6 times less at night to charge your plug-in hybrid, your electric vehicle, your Solar Sailor." Sven Thesen, PG&E Environmental Engineer
With a limited number of ferries, and ferry docks currently on the bay, this is still a fairly exotic commute. But with this new technology coming online, more and more folks are apt to try it, and experts say, more and more folks are apt to make it a permanent thing.
