The solar ship or solar boat ☀️ Possible use of transparent solar glass modules ☑️

In 1989, the trimaran Basilisk 1 completed a round trip: Basel – Koblenz – Trier – Saarbrücken – Strasbourg – Basel. In 1990, it even managed a journey from Basel almost to Ibiza (2,000 km). 50 km from the finish, the skipper, Matthias Wegmann, had to abandon ship due to a series of unfortunate events and was rescued by a freighter. Technical specifications: Length 5 m, beam 4.5 m, displacement 0.3 t, 4 passengers, 2 berths, PV 500 Wp/10 km/h, motor 2 kW/13 km/h, battery (lead-acid) 2 kWh/60 kg. This boat, with its fold-out wheels, could even travel on the road as a solar-powered vehicle at 30 km/h, but it never received road approval.

Improved version of Basilisk 1: Since solar boats can never match the performance of sailboats at sea, and sailboats are practically unusable on rivers/canals, this boat was designed purely for inland waterways. It operates on the rivers and canals of France and is currently moored in Dijon. Technical data: Length 6 m, beam 4.5 m, displacement 0.5 t, solar panels 800 Wp/10 km/h, motor 24 V 2 kW/12 km/h, battery initially (lead-acid) 4 kWh/120 kg, then (LiFeYPo4) 5 kWh/50 kg, 4 passengers, 4 berths. Special feature: Trailer wheels are mounted in the outriggers and a removable tow hitch is installed in the bow, allowing the boat to be towed by any car without an additional trailer when folded down.

The first and, until 2017, only solar-powered boat to complete the Basel-Amsterdam-Basel route (current speed up to 12 km/h) from July 7th to 31st, 2010, covering approximately 70 km/day. Designed as a trimaran with a wave-shaped main hull, it achieved a speed of 16 km/h with a 6 kW motor. Technical data: Length 12 m, beam 4.5 m, displacement empty 2t, with 12 passengers 3t, solar panels 1.8 kWp/12 km/h, motor 6 kW/16 km/h, lead-acid battery 20 kWh, 600 kg, 6 berths, toilet, galley.

Aditya is a solar-powered ferry operating between Vaikkom and Thavanakkadavu in the Indian state of Kerala. The vessel was inaugurated on January 12, 2017, by Kerala's Chief Minister Sri Pinarayi Vijayan and the Central Cabinet Minister for Electricity and Renewable Energy, Sri Piyush Goyal.

It is India's first solar-powered ferry and the largest solar-powered boat in India. The vessel was designed and built by NavAlt Solar and Electric Boats in Kochi, India. NavAlt is a joint venture of Navgathi Marine Design and Constructions, Alternative Energies (France), and EVE Systems (France).

In August 2020, MarineLink reported that the state of Kerala would replace the three diesel ferries operating on the same route with solar-powered ferries by the end of the year, noting that the Aditya costs approximately $79 per month, compared to $2,867 for diesel ferries. Over three years, the Aditya has saved more than 100,000 liters of diesel. The Kerala government's Department of Water Transport has also decided to replace all 48 of its diesel ferries with solar-powered ferries.

In 2000, Alster Touristik in Hamburg christened the solar-powered ship "Alstersonne". At 26.53 meters in length, it was the largest solar-powered ship in the world at the time. It is a catamaran with two 8 kW motors.[7] It has a capacity of 100 passengers and was initially fitted with an acrylic glass roof with integrated photovoltaic modules. In 2006, the acrylic glass roof was replaced with real glass, and the angle of the glass modules was modified.

The Tûranor PlanetSolar is a catamaran christened on March 31, 2010, powered exclusively by solar energy. At the time, it was the largest solar-powered vessel, measuring 31 meters in length and weighing 84 tons. Powered by 240 kW motors, the ship embarked on a circumnavigation of the globe. It departed from Monaco on September 27, 2010, transited the Panama Canal, and reached the Galapagos Islands at the end of January 2011. After nearly 485 days, the solar-powered vessel returned to Monaco on May 4, 2012, thus completing its circumnavigation.

The ship's story dates back to 2004. At that time, Swiss paramedic Raphaël Domjan set out to be the first person to circumnavigate the globe in a solar-powered boat. Together with his partner, French politician and navigator Gérard d'Aboville, he developed the initial ideas for this project. D'Aboville had already been the first person to row solo across the Atlantic and then the Pacific Ocean in the 1980s and 1990s. The two initially planned to build a small vessel for two people. Then, Darmstadt-based entrepreneur and Wella heir Immo Ströher learned about the project through a press report. He convinced Domjan and d'Aboville to build a larger boat. He also developed a professional communication strategy and a plan for the vessel's future use.

The project, with total costs estimated at around €15 million, was largely financed by Immo Ströher and his Swiss holding company Rivendell, which primarily invests in renewable energy, recycling, and environmental protection technologies. Ströher was one of the first entrepreneurs in Germany to promote solar energy. His support enabled the founding of companies such as Solon, Q-Cells, Younicos, and Grundgrün.

The futuristic design with one main hull and two secondary hulls comes from New Zealand designer Craig Loomes, from the New Zealand company LomOcean Design.

The electric motor vessel Europa operates as an excursion boat on the Maschsee lake in Hanover.

The "Spree-Shuttle" (formerly "Gaienhofen") covered 5,000 km between June 2000 and October 2003. In the summer of 2003, the solar-powered ship required only two recharges from the power grid. In total, more than 4,000 passengers were transported.

MobiCat is an electrically powered passenger catamaran. It draws its propulsion energy from solar power. The vessel was launched in July 2001 and has been operating on Lake Biel ever since.

The Orca ten Broke is an unconventional inland vessel that serves as a seminar ship and operates without the use of fossil fuels.

The CO2-neutral inland vessel, certified for 199 passengers, was built by Ostseestaal in Stralsund. This is also where the Berlin solar-powered battery ferries, the "Fährbär," were built. The ship is divided into three decks, with the hull and superstructure made of steel. The lowest deck houses the technical equipment, including the engine room, four battery rooms, and fuel tanks. The 2.4-meter-high intermediate deck contains the seminar room, which spans the entire width of the ship and can be divided into three separate rooms using partitions. Above this is the sun deck with its solar panels.

The Orca ten Broke, which is 35.55 m long and 8.25 m wide, is powered by a 110 kW electric motor, which is supplied by a battery with a capacity of 200 kWh.

The battery is charged by 32 kWp photovoltaic modules on the roof and a generator. In favorable weather conditions, the photovoltaic system can cover the entire energy demand. The battery system has a capacity of 250 kilowatt-hours. The generator is powered by a Deutz BF6M1013M engine, which is approved for paraffinic fuels such as hydrogenated vegetable oils, recycled vegetable oils and waste fats, as well as liquid fuels from natural gas (GtL) and biomass (BtL). In the future, so-called e-fuels (PtL), i.e., CO2-neutral fuels produced from surplus electricity, will be used. The engine operates on the principle of combined heat and power (CHP) and supplies electricity and heat for hot water and heating. A 1500-liter buffer tank has been installed for this purpose. Underfloor heating, good insulation, and triple-glazed windows ensure low heating requirements.

The aim of the energy concept is to transfer efficient technologies, already successfully implemented in low-energy buildings, to the seminar ship. The energy concept was developed by the owner, Felix Eisenhardt, and implemented in collaboration with Ingo Schillinger from the shipyard.

If mooring or anchoring is not possible, the vessel can be "parked" using retractable anchor piles. The ship was delivered in November 2017 and transferred to its place of operation in Berlin.

Since June 2004, the world's then-largest stainless steel solar catamaran has been sailing on the Neckar River in Heidelberg. Proudly named the "Solar Ship," this excursion and charter vessel weighs 51 tons and is 24.95 meters long. It offers 80 covered seats and 30 additional seats on the open deck. With a cruising speed of approximately 14 km/h, its range on a fully charged battery is a respectable 110 km. It is powered by two 25 kW three-phase electric motors. Only the central section of the roof is covered with solar panels, thus providing unobstructed views along the sides and at mid-height.

Since April 2006, two solar-electric powered boats have been operating on the Weser River in Hameln and have proven very successful in attracting tourists. This tourism project will continue in 2008 with new and technologically advanced boat models.

In early December 2006, the Sun21, a solar catamaran built in Switzerland, set sail from Seville on the first transatlantic crossing by a solar-powered boat. After a stopover in the Canary Islands, the boat and its five crew members reached the port of Le Marin on Martinique in the Caribbean on February 2, 2007, and arrived in New York on May 8. The project was initiated by Martin Vosseler.

The Sun21 was the prototype for a solar-powered boat on Berlin's waterways. On August 12, 2009, the Solon was christened by Governing Mayor Klaus Wowereit. The Suncat 58-type vessel is equipped with a Solon solar generator with a capacity of 5.6 kWp. The catamaran's motors have a total electrical output of 2 x 8 kW. The battery storage is sufficient for 10 hours of operation without sunlight. A Suncat 58 can accommodate up to 60 people. In addition to the Solon, the same manufacturer also offers smaller solar boats for up to 12 people and even a luxury solar yacht.

Electric or solar boats equipped with photovoltaic-hydrogen hybrid technology use a combination of photovoltaics and fuel cells, the latter powered by hydrogen that is reversibly produced using solar cells. A world first prototype, the "Solgenia," is being developed as a research vessel at the University of Konstanz and has been in practical operation on Lake Constance since the beginning of 2007.

Launched in April 2017, the Energy Observer is the world's first vessel to produce and power its own hydrogen. Developed in collaboration with engineers from CEA-LITEN, the ship is designed to test and demonstrate the efficiency of a complete production chain based on the coupling of various renewable energy sources. Following its launch in spring 2017, the vessel embarked on a six-year world tour to optimize its technologies and lead an expedition aimed at developing sustainable solutions for the energy transition. The French Ministry for an Ecological and Inclusive Transition appointed the vessel as France's first ambassador for the Sustainable Development Goals.

The Energy Observer, the first hydrogen-powered circumnavigation ship,
is a project centered around an experimental vessel and its expedition, whose primary goal is to find concrete, innovative, and successful solutions for the energy transition. Thanks to its technologies, it will be the world's first ship capable of producing decarbonized hydrogen on board using an energy mix. It is often referred to as the "Solar Impulse of the Seas" because the developed technologies are reminiscent of Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg's solar project, or as the "Modern Day Calypso" because the ship will serve as a production platform for media content about ecology, sustainable development, and the energy transition.

The scientific mission
Energy Observer is a floating laboratory designed to test an innovative energy architecture under extreme conditions to prove its feasibility on land. The energy system comprises three renewable energy sources (solar, wind, and hydropower) and two types of storage (lithium-ion batteries for short-term use and hydrogen for long-term use). The ship can produce hydrogen directly on board through seawater electrolysis. The goal is to test and optimize these technological components so they work together harmoniously and achieve complete energy autonomy. Each year, the ship will return to the shipyard for navigation and development analysis of the onboard technologies.

Technologies Used
: Designed in collaboration with a team of naval architects and CEA-LITEN in Grenoble, the experimental vessel is the first ship capable of autonomously producing hydrogen on board using renewable energy sources and without greenhouse gas emissions. The ship will generate and store hydrogen using a seawater energy mix: three types of solar panels covering an area of ​​130 square meters (21 kW peak), two vertical-axis wind turbines (2 x 1 kW), one traction kite and two reversible electric motors (2 x 41 kW) for hydrogen production, one lithium battery (106 kWh), one desalination plant, one electrolyzer, one compressor, one fuel cell (22 kW), and 62 kg of hydrogen. The entire hydrogen system weighs 2,100 kg. A new, lighter battery was introduced in 2019.

The SolarWave was launched on December 17, 2009, christened on January 27, 2010, and embarked on its first energy-independent circumnavigation of the globe on April 7, 2010. The solar catamaran is 14 meters long and 7.5 meters wide, weighing 12 tons. Its roof is covered with 57 square meters of solar panels, and it is powered by two 10 kW electric motors. Unique to the SolarWave is the fact that, in addition to propulsion, all navigation, operational, and household systems, as well as electric support vehicles (dinghy and e-bike), are powered by solar energy. The project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of global solar mobility on a family-friendly, seaworthy sports boat and to inspire others to follow suit. In 2010, the boat traversed Europe on the Rhine, Main, and Danube rivers and sailed across the Black Sea.

The Solaaris is a catamaran made of aluminium, which entered service on April 2, 2012 at the Ostseestaal shipyard in Stralsund and replaced the decommissioned waterbus “Landois” on the Aasee lake in Münster.

The ship, designed for 68 passengers, has a displacement of approximately 14 tons and a draft of 0.5 m, is 15.64 m long, 4.6 m wide and is powered by two 15-kW electric motors supplied by two 55-kWh lithium-ion batteries.

28 solar modules of 185 Wp each on the flat roof are intended to support the batteries during the approximately eight daily trips that lead from the Aasee terraces / Golden Bridge via the landing stage Freilichtmuseum Mühlenhof to the Allwetterzoo / Naturkundemuseum and back.

The solar-hydrogen vessel Energy Observer joins a series of major research and development projects dedicated to technology, society, and the environment, conveying a message in favor of renewable energies. This series also includes the polar schooner Tara, which has been traveling the world's oceans for science and environmental protection since 2007; Solar Impulse, the first solar-powered airplane; and Planet Solar, the first solar-electric vehicle to circumnavigate the globe in 2010. In October 2016, the Race for Water Odyssey Foundation announced that it would equip the catamaran Planet Solar, powered exclusively by solar energy, with hydrogen technology for a circumnavigation of the globe with similar ambitions to the Energy Observer project.

Planned but not yet realized ships with onboard hydrogen fuel production using renewable energy include the “Orcelle.” This ferry is intended to be the “green flagship” of Wallenius Wilhelmsen Logistics, a Norwegian-Swedish shipping company. It uses solar and wave energy to produce hydrogen on board for propulsion. Another hydrogen-powered ship, not yet built, is the ocean-going yacht “Eco-Trimaran,” which also utilizes solar and wave energy. Wind energy is harnessed not with sails, but with a wind turbine. This energy source can also contribute to onboard hydrogen production, even while the ship is docked.

Everything from a single source: solar module solutions specifically tailored to your photovoltaic system! Refinance or offset your future with your own electricity generation.

Find advice and solutions here 👈🏻

Consultation and planning including a non-binding cost estimate. We connect you with strong partners in photovoltaics.

Find advice and solutions here 👈🏻

We have a regional presence throughout the German-speaking world. We have reliable partners who will advise you and implement your wishes.

Get in touch with us 👈🏻