Records could soon be set with the Energy Observer, and it has been dubbed to be the ocean’s equivalent of Solar Impulse. The 100ft catamaran is due to set sail in February 2017 where it is hoping to complete a round-the-world trip using only renewable energy sources. There are over 100 stops planned for the journey, and the whole voyage is expected to take around six years to complete at the cost of around 4 million Euros per year.
The duo behind the project consists of merchant navy officer, Victorien Erussard, and professional scuba diver and documentary filmmaker, Jacques Delafosse and the plan is to design and build the world’s first boat that has the ability to go around the world powered by only renewable energy sources. This will include wind turbines, solar panels, and electrolysis equipment that can transform water into hydrogen gas and oxygen.
According to co-founder, Erussard, this system will ensure that the Energy Observer is the first boat ever to have an autonomous means of producing hydrogen. Batteries that use solar and wind energy will power the electric motors in the day, and the stored hydrogen will be used in the night or adverse weather conditions.
So, the team is understandably both nervous and excited as February draws nearer and their time to set sail arrives. But, if they do manage to pull it off (and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t), this could mean a new beginning in the way cargo is shipped around the world and will be another fantastic way that we are saving the environment.
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