Graduate’s yacht design sails into green yonder
A British graduate has designed the world’s greenest superyacht, so energy efficient it can create surplus power to be sold to the National Grid.
The 190ft Soliloquy can reach speeds of up to 10 knots without carbon emissions, powered by sails that harness both wind and solar energy.
Surplus power not needed to drive the boat provides electricity for the luxury accommodation inside or is stored in batteries to run the engines when the wind is not blowing.
Alastair Callender, 24, designed the Soliloquy for his final-year project at Coventry University and is now in talks to build the yacht for a European businessman looking to exchange his conventional boat for a greener vessel.The discussions follow this year’s Monaco boat show, when a small-scale prototype of the Soliloquy, which will sell for up to £40m when built, attracted the attention of several potential buyers.
One of the yacht’s main features is 6,500 sq ft of solar panelling, much of which is built into three giant sails made of rigid material.
The sails, developed by the Australian company Solar Sailor, which sponsored Callender’s project, can rotate 360 degrees to face the sun or wind, and fold away like the blades of a penknife when not in use.
Features on board the boat, which can accommodate 12 guests and three crew, include a cinema, a gym with treadmills that will help charge the main batteries and four bathing platforms that open out from the side of the boat.
It is emission-free at up to 10 knots but can reach 18 knots with the help of a diesel-electric motor. It can also store energy for when there is no wind blowing.
“After six hours sitting in a sunny harbour like Monaco, the superyacht’s solar panels can store the power needed to run a four-bedroom house for eight days, » said Callender. “It would be great if your extra power could be given to your neighbour in the marina with a gas guzzler, or even sold to the National Grid. »
Category: Eco Luxury Yachts, Superyacht Innovations
Comments (0)
Trackback URL | Comments RSS Feed
There are no comments yet. Why not be the first to speak your mind.