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SOLAR
POWER RULES THE WAVES
A boat
designed and built in the UK has become the first vessel
to cross the English Channel powered only by electricity
produced from photovoltaic (PV) cells. The SB
Collinda, a 6m-long catamaran with a top speed of
6mph, completed the trip between Dover and Calais in
just over seven hours. Its 20 solar panels produce 1.4kW
of electricity and were supplied by Intersolar Group of
High Wycombe. It is unclear how this claim marries
with the efforts of Don Wood and Southampton
University's Solent
crossing in 1998.
The
boat, which cost £25,000 to
build, is the brainchild of
businessman Malcolm Moss. Its Channel crossing
demonstrates the potential contribution solar power
could make to a growth in pollution-free boating over
the coming years; in this context, PV-powered craft have
an advantage over other electric boats in that they can
be charged anywhere and do not need cables or charging
points. The building of the SB Collinda was
prompted by the successful launch of a solar-powered
ferry in Udaipur, India, which carries 16 people and
operates for 12 hours a day purely on solar energy.
The parasol design is similar to that employed by
schoolboy James when converting his Action
Man inflatable toy to solar power.
NEW
REVIEW is
produced by ETSU on behalf of the DTI. Views expressed
in the publication do not necessarily represent the
views or policies of the Government or the views of ETSU.
Neither the DTI nor ETSU endorses any of the products or
services featured in NEW REVIEW. Please address
correspondence to: Dr Barry Hague, Editor - NEW REVIEW,
ETSU, Harwell, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RA. For more
information about the DTI's New and Renewable Energy
Programme, contact: New and Renewable Energy Enquiries
Bureau, ETSU, Harwell, Didcot, Oxon OX11 0RA; Tel 01235
432450/433601, Fax: 01235 433066
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