Department of Trade and Industry
HOME PAGE | TEXT ONLY | SITE INDEX | FEEDBACK | CONTACT GO
GO GO GO

NEW REVIEW

The Quarterly Newsletter for the UK New and Renewable Energy Industry

ISSUE 34
November 1997

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.

Picture

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.

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
Picture