Solar-Powered Ferries to Sail Hong Kong Harbor, Cut Emissions

By Heidi Couch and Alex Morales
July 30 (Bloomberg) -- Four solar-powered ferries will begin sailing routes across Hong Kong’s harbor in November, helping the Chinese city cut emissions of global-warming gases.

The boats were ordered last July by the Hong Kong Jockey Club, according to Solar Sailor Holdings Ltd., the Sydney-based shipbuilder that designed them.

The technology could cut in half carbon-dioxide output on a typical urban ferry route, Solar Sailor said on its Web site. Makers of ships, planes and autos around the world are trying to cut greenhouse gases from transport, which account for about 13 percent of global emissions. In Australia today, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said the government will create 50,000 new “green” jobs and trainee posts to support a low-carbon economy.

The ferries were purchased by the Hong Kong Jockey Club as part of a 350 million Hong Kong dollar ($45 million) drive to make the city more environmentally conscious. The boats will be used for services between the club’s Kau Sai Chau Public Golf Course and Sai Kung pier, it said in September on its Web site.

Solar Sailor’s so-called hybrid marine power, a sea-going equivalent to Toyota Motor Corp.’s Prius car, according to Chief Executive Officer Robert Dane, can save ferry operators $6 million in fuel costs over a typical 15-year lifespan, the company says. Even so, recent development of the technology makes it hard to compete with the more established diesel motor industry, Dane said.

“That industry’s had a hundred years to develop the technologies and economies of scale,” Dane said in a Bloomberg Television interview, referring to diesel motors. “We’re coming in and competing against that in five or 10 years with a system that has to be as good or better and the same price or cheaper.”

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CLARIFICATION: In the recent feature by Bloomberg TV about Solar Sailor’s technology and applications the statements “On a “typical sunny day” they will operate mainly using the sun’s energy, and also with liquid petroleum gas,.” and “Three-quarters of the power will be powered by solar and a quarter will be powered by LPG,” refer to the Sydney Solar Sailor.

The statements do not refer to the operation of the boats ordered by the Hong Kong Jockey Club which will run on diesel and a different solar system compared to Sydney Solar Sailor. We apologise for any confusion.

Solar Sailor
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View the Bloomberg video report online here

To contact the reporter on this story:
Heidi Couch in Sydney at hcouch@bloomberg.net
Alex Morales in London at amorales2@bloomberg.net

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