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29.11.07 Solar Sailor has successful AGM
Solar Sailors
Harbor ferry line goes high tech
New York Post | Ginger Adams Otis
May 27, 2007 -- The transportation wave of the future will include solar-powered ferries with special sunshine-grabbing sails.
The first of these "green ferries" in America could be launched in New York Harbor by Circle Line, which has partnered with an Australian shipbuilder to build a $8 million vessel for its Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island route.
The new technology was the focal point of Circle Line's April bid for a 10-year renewal on its deal to run the harbor ferry routes.
If the bid with the National Park Service is successful, Circle Line president J.B. Meyer said, work will start immediately on Miss Statue of Liberty, a 115-foot hybrid trimaran ferry. If the bid fails, Meyer said, green ferries will still be phased into other routes, including the one to Yankee Stadium.
Meyer traveled to Australia in December to check out the technology created by Solar Sailor, whose designs are already in service in Sydney Harbor.
It was while watching a sailboat race along Australia's Gold Coast that the idea for a massive "solar wing" - the vessel's key element - came to Solar Sailor co-founder Robert Dane.
The wing can be manipulated into different positions - including folding flat in high winds. "It works almost like a joint," said Dane.
Covered with ray-absorbing, reflective-glass panels, the wing measures 50 by 23 feet. Like a large sail, is rotated into position to capture maximum sun- and wind-generated energy. The vessels can reach speeds of 10 to 13 knots, the same maximum speed as conventional ferries.
Even on a cloudy day, enough energy is generated to charge the vessel's main batteries and keep the boat running - including its plasma TVs. While the vessel will cost about $2 million more than traditional ferries, Meyer said, it burns one-third less fuel, saving hundreds of thousands annually. Its "low-wake" design is also environmentally friendly, creating smaller waves and lessening erosion of bulkheads and wetlands.
Miss Statue of Liberty would carry up to 600 people, and produce 50 percent less greenhouse gas emissions than regular gas-guzzling ferries.
The boat's two diesel engines would burn only low-sulfur fuel, producing almost zero emissions.
gotis@nypost.com
