Feb 23 2011
Eco Marine Power has declared that it is going ahead with the development of its Aquarius Solar and Wind Marine Power System meant for ships and other ocean going vessels.
Before taking the decision the company undertook a broad feasibility study in 2010 regarding the use of solar and wind power in the ocean going ships and found its viability to harness such energy to power the ships.
The novel and ecologically friendly marine power solution proposed by the company will employ exclusively designed rigid sail panels equipped with solar modules to harness solar as well as wind power to fuel the ships, to reduce their fuel intake, decrease the toxic gas emissions from the vessel and in turn will reduce the ships’ carbon footprint. The power system will utilize an onboard computer to manage the deployment of rigid sail panels for the wind push as well as for the collection of solar energy. The panels can be deployed effectively in large sized tankers and bulk carriers and the power generated from the solar panels also can be utilized when the ships stay closer to the port or anchored at the port. Though the system was initially designed for larger sized vessels, the developed technology allows their deployment even in smaller sized vessels such as coastal freighters, passenger and tourist boats.
The safety features included in the Aquarius Systems will allow packing of the rigid solar panels during extreme weather conditions. The company is presently working along with a number of developers in various countries to complete the prototype design of the model for the first round of testing in the early part of 2012.
Source: http://www.ecomarinepower.com/