The open ocean seems like a good place to harvest solar power - no buildings or trees to get in the way, just lots of open sky. Nippon Yusen KK and Nippon Oil, both of Japan, are planning to do just that on top of Toyota toting cargo ships. The companies plan to put a solar panel capable of generating 40 kilowatts of power on the 60,000 ton ship. A solar panel placed on a house generates something like 3.5 kilowatts. The panel could help to conserve 6.5% of the fuel oil the ship uses to power its diesel engines.
Developers have to work to find solutions for potential damage from salt and vibrations on board the ship. They hope to have the first panels in place by December and commercial solution available in the next three to five years.
The 6.5% savings doesn't seem like a lot, until you consider the scale of the operation. On a ship that large, a 6.5% savings on fuel oil is probably enough to run a fleet of the Toyotas it is carrying.
[Via CleanTechnica]
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