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For years advocates of Sustainable forms of transportation have been experimenting with everything from solar cars to hydrogen powered ones. But the Australian born medical practitioner and inventor Dr Robert Dane has beaten them all to it. From his practice in Ulladulla (near Sydney) he has dreamed up and built a boat that has the potential to become the first commercially viable form of sustainable transport.
The Solar sailor is the result of $2.3 million of investment support from 76 shareholders. It started in 1995/6 when Dr Dane first went to the Advanced Technology Boat Race in Canberra. Seeing the enthusiasm and potential of the event, he began working on a boat to enter the competition. His inspiration came from his knowledge of evolutionary biology. Specifically the fact that insect like flies first developed wings as solar collectors. A spark went off in his head, "From med school, I knew that anytime you see that kind of positive feedback loop in nature, you should take advantage of it" he explains. He first glimpsed a solar cell in a magazine article about the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's space satellites. "I was fascinated," he recalls. "The idea of solar panels was absolutely miraculous. I became obsessed."
His first boat was called the Marjorie K, named after Ulladulla local Marjorie Kendall, a farmer and fellow solar enthusiast, who was so impressed that she invested half of the $130,000 cost of a prototype boat. The boat entered the Second International Solar and Advanced Technology Boat Race in 1997, and promptly demolished all competition. The only reason it didn't win was that the crew -anxious to win the race- accidentally clipped a buoy on the way round, and had to do an extra lap. The boat still won the Aus$10,000 prize for Most Innovative Vessel.
In 2000 the project was given a significant lift with a $1 million grant from the Australian federal government. The NSW state government also gave $45,000 in funding and included the boat as part of the Australian Technology Showcase. Coupled with the Olympics. Sydney won the Olympics because they promised a 'green games,' and Dane's invention seemed to fit like a glove. The result was a 21m fibreglass catamaran, capable of carrying 100 people, which has been operated in Sydney by Captain Cook Cruises since early July 2000 and was selected as the VIP boat for witnessing the progress of the Olympic Torch down Sydney Harbour. The boat is still operating commercially on Sydney harbour, offering cruises to tourists.
Technically it really is a vision. Boats powered by solar alone cannot be as fast as diesel-powered boats churning out hundreds of kilowatts. But, unlike conventional commercial craft they use their power very efficiently, as do yachts. It requires surprisingly little power to move a displacement vessel through calm water, but the Solar Sailor does this better than other solar-powered boats. It is in effect a hybrid craft with four sources of power - solar, wind, batteries and Gas. "The Solar Sailor does about 5 knots on solar and about 10 knots on gas and with the wind you get another 2 or 3 knots with the wings up and sailing," said Dane. Larger versions of the Solar Sailor would be faster because of their longer waterline length and greater surface area for solar collection, he said.
"A 42m boat would do 10 knots on solar and 20 knots on gas, and a vessel of this size and speed would be able to compete directly against conventionally powered ferries."
All in all, the solar sailor has GREAT potential. For a start it costs roughly 80% less to run than a 'normal' ferry, and Captain Cook Cruises are expecting to make their money back on the original cost of the ferry (around Aus$2.8 million) in 4 years of operation. In Greece fuel powered boats have recently been banned from going near areas of outstanding beauty. The Caribbean is full of sun and wind, and tourists! And many Caribbean governments are thinking of following the Greek example. The fact that the boat gets faster and more efficient the bigger you build it has also ignited the interests of cargo shipping operators. Unfortunately, Dane recently appeared on Tomorrow's World suggesting the boat could be used by the US navy as a boat/plane! Fuckin' military! Know a good thing when they see it, haven't got a clue what to do with it once they've got it! Seyi Rhodes