Island Pilot Dse Hybrid
The DSe Hybrid - the first truly “Green” motoryacht in the U.S. - took shape as all the parameters were developed. The goals are:
1. 5 Knots electric cruising speed (Zero Emissions).
2. 7 Knots diesel cruising speed at 5 NM/Gal.
3. Two excellent staterooms with ensuite heads for two couples or a family cruising together.
4. Economy both underway at any speed plus efficient, fuel-free living on the hook.
5. Spacious and comfortable “Great Room.”
6. Roomy and congenial Express-Style Bridge.
7. All the “optional” equipment included as standard to which all current Island Pilot owners have become accustomed.
First came a pair of sleek hulls, their underwater shapes resembling a torpedo. The DSe requires a total of 6 kW to cruise at 6 knots in electric, zero-emissions, mode. (see sea trial results). The superstructure is designed to maximize the horizontal surface for the 6 kW photovoltaic solar array.
In the stern of each hull is a Steyr Motors Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System using a Steyr “Monoblock” 75 HP diesel with an inline 7 kW motor/5kW generator leading to the ZF Saildrive. In the bows are 48 vDC battery banks made up of AGM-style deep cycle batteries from Enersys - a total of 20 kW-hours. In electric mode, the permanent-magnet motors provide silent cruising speeds of up to 6 knots. To run faster (or at night), start the diesels for a cruising speed of 7 knots. When the diesels are running, the motors become generators, supplying a charging current (10 kW total) for the battery arrays. The diesels can be run in neutral (at anchor) in generator mode, each supplying either 2 kW or 5 kW (operator selectable). A pair of 3.6 kW pure sine wave Outback inverters supply the 120 vAC for air conditioning, cooking, entertainment, hot water and outlets.
None of this cutting-edge technology takes away from her comforts — An “Island Queen” on-deck master & an “Island Queen” guest (converts to twin berths), each with ensuite heads and stall showers. The “Great-room” deckhouse has a roomy & efficient galley (complete with the Island Pilot signature refrigerator/freezer). The two settees, high-low table and 26” HDTV and Bose home theater have all been proven in the Island Pilots and actually are enlarged for use here in the DSe Hybrid.
The express-style bridge has wrap-around seating for 8, twin helm chairs (the same sports car seats found in the Island Pilots) and centerline console housing the Garmin 15” GPSMAP 5215, the Steyr LCD touchscreen control panels and the Tecnautic “Fly by Wire” steering, autopilot and engine controls.
The DSe Hybrid measures 39’ 6” x 17’ 0” x 35”
For More information on this product, go to: http://www.dsehybrid.com/index.html
Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVyWV7lM4uQ
Here's a bigger image below, click to view bigger:
1. 5 Knots electric cruising speed (Zero Emissions).
2. 7 Knots diesel cruising speed at 5 NM/Gal.
3. Two excellent staterooms with ensuite heads for two couples or a family cruising together.
4. Economy both underway at any speed plus efficient, fuel-free living on the hook.
5. Spacious and comfortable “Great Room.”
6. Roomy and congenial Express-Style Bridge.
7. All the “optional” equipment included as standard to which all current Island Pilot owners have become accustomed.
First came a pair of sleek hulls, their underwater shapes resembling a torpedo. The DSe requires a total of 6 kW to cruise at 6 knots in electric, zero-emissions, mode. (see sea trial results). The superstructure is designed to maximize the horizontal surface for the 6 kW photovoltaic solar array.
In the stern of each hull is a Steyr Motors Parallel Hybrid Propulsion System using a Steyr “Monoblock” 75 HP diesel with an inline 7 kW motor/5kW generator leading to the ZF Saildrive. In the bows are 48 vDC battery banks made up of AGM-style deep cycle batteries from Enersys - a total of 20 kW-hours. In electric mode, the permanent-magnet motors provide silent cruising speeds of up to 6 knots. To run faster (or at night), start the diesels for a cruising speed of 7 knots. When the diesels are running, the motors become generators, supplying a charging current (10 kW total) for the battery arrays. The diesels can be run in neutral (at anchor) in generator mode, each supplying either 2 kW or 5 kW (operator selectable). A pair of 3.6 kW pure sine wave Outback inverters supply the 120 vAC for air conditioning, cooking, entertainment, hot water and outlets.
None of this cutting-edge technology takes away from her comforts — An “Island Queen” on-deck master & an “Island Queen” guest (converts to twin berths), each with ensuite heads and stall showers. The “Great-room” deckhouse has a roomy & efficient galley (complete with the Island Pilot signature refrigerator/freezer). The two settees, high-low table and 26” HDTV and Bose home theater have all been proven in the Island Pilots and actually are enlarged for use here in the DSe Hybrid.
The express-style bridge has wrap-around seating for 8, twin helm chairs (the same sports car seats found in the Island Pilots) and centerline console housing the Garmin 15” GPSMAP 5215, the Steyr LCD touchscreen control panels and the Tecnautic “Fly by Wire” steering, autopilot and engine controls.
The DSe Hybrid measures 39’ 6” x 17’ 0” x 35”
For More information on this product, go to: http://www.dsehybrid.com/index.html
Here's the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IVyWV7lM4uQ
Here's a bigger image below, click to view bigger:
Here's some more Solar Boat
Solar Powered Boats - clean and efficient
Solar powered boats get their energy from the sun. Using electric motors and storage batteries charged by solar panels and photovoltaic cells, solar powered boats can significantly reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels. Solar boats are uniquely suited to transform light energy into movement. Environmentally friendly solar energy is an energy efficient way to power commercial oceangoing vessels as well as leisure boats.
Are there any solar powered boats in use?
In 2007, five Swiss sailors piloted a solar powered boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Using solar power only (via solar panels), the “sun21” made the first motorized crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in order to promote the great potential of renewable energy for ocean navigation and to combat climate change. The “sun21’ arrived in New York City on May 8, 2007, having covered 7000 sea miles.
What’s the design of the “sun21” solar powered boat?
The “sun21” is a 45.9-foot-long specially built solar powered boat known as a catamaran. On its canopy like roof are 48 silicon photovoltaic cells, which collect energy from sunlight and transmit it to a device in one of the narrow cabins. That device transmits the energy to the 3,600 pounds of storage batteries below the deck. The 11-ton solar boat was powered on the energy needed to light 10 100-watt light bulbs. The typical speed was 3.5 knots. The solar boat has two engines that can go up to 107 nautical miles a day in good weather.
The “sun21” sleeps 6 people and has room for large groups for visits or short excursions. The kitchen is in one hull and the bathroom is in the other.
Cool designs - solar electric boats
A passenger ferry in Sydney Harbour, Australia, called the Solar Sailor, can run on wind, sun, battery, or diesel, or in any combination. It uses patented Solar Wing technology to simultaneously capture sunlight for electricity and for wind power. The wings move automatically via computer, tracking the sun for optimal solar collection and the wind for optimal sail power. If it gets really windy, the wings fold down against the solar boat. Much like a hybrid car, large batteries on board the solar energy boat store electricity generated by the diesel generators and collected by the solar panels. The electricity then powers the electric motors.
Both passengers and the environment benefit from this new design. The solar boat is very quiet; there are no fumes, low vibration, no greenhouse gas emissions and no water pollution. BBC’s Tomorrow’s World described Solar Sailor’s technology as “possibly the greatest evolution in boats since the advent of steam.”
Two of these solar powered ferries (using the same design as the Sydney Harbour Ferry) are planned for passengers in the San Francisco Bay. They will accommodate 600 passengers each and be ready in 2009.
Solar powered boats - Solar panels for power
Solar panels are solar systems that produce electricity directly from sunlight. Solar panels produce clean, reliable electricity without consuming fossil fuels. Solar panel systems are an excellent way to generate energy in remote locations (the oceans) that are not connected to the electric grid.
What are the benefits of solar panels?
1.) Solar panels are highly reliable and easy to maintain. Solar panels have no moving parts, so visual checks and servicing are enough to keep systems up and running. Solar panels are built to withstand hail impact, high wind, and freeze-thaw cycles. Solar panel systems can produce power in all types of weather. On partly cloudy days, they produce as much as 80% of their potential energy. Even on extremely cloudy days, they can still produce about 25% of their maximum output.
2.) Virtually no environmental impact. Solar panel systems burn no fuel and have no moving parts. They are clean and silent, producing no atmospheric emissions or greenhouse gases that are harmful to the earth
3.) Modular and flexible in terms of size and applications. Solar panel systems can be built to any size in response to the energy needs at hand. They can be enlarged or moved easily.
Here's the ling for more information on solar boats and more: http://www.dasolar.com/solar-energy/solar-powered-boats
Solar powered boats get their energy from the sun. Using electric motors and storage batteries charged by solar panels and photovoltaic cells, solar powered boats can significantly reduce or eliminate their use of fossil fuels. Solar boats are uniquely suited to transform light energy into movement. Environmentally friendly solar energy is an energy efficient way to power commercial oceangoing vessels as well as leisure boats.
Are there any solar powered boats in use?
In 2007, five Swiss sailors piloted a solar powered boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Using solar power only (via solar panels), the “sun21” made the first motorized crossing of the Atlantic Ocean in order to promote the great potential of renewable energy for ocean navigation and to combat climate change. The “sun21’ arrived in New York City on May 8, 2007, having covered 7000 sea miles.
What’s the design of the “sun21” solar powered boat?
The “sun21” is a 45.9-foot-long specially built solar powered boat known as a catamaran. On its canopy like roof are 48 silicon photovoltaic cells, which collect energy from sunlight and transmit it to a device in one of the narrow cabins. That device transmits the energy to the 3,600 pounds of storage batteries below the deck. The 11-ton solar boat was powered on the energy needed to light 10 100-watt light bulbs. The typical speed was 3.5 knots. The solar boat has two engines that can go up to 107 nautical miles a day in good weather.
The “sun21” sleeps 6 people and has room for large groups for visits or short excursions. The kitchen is in one hull and the bathroom is in the other.
Cool designs - solar electric boats
A passenger ferry in Sydney Harbour, Australia, called the Solar Sailor, can run on wind, sun, battery, or diesel, or in any combination. It uses patented Solar Wing technology to simultaneously capture sunlight for electricity and for wind power. The wings move automatically via computer, tracking the sun for optimal solar collection and the wind for optimal sail power. If it gets really windy, the wings fold down against the solar boat. Much like a hybrid car, large batteries on board the solar energy boat store electricity generated by the diesel generators and collected by the solar panels. The electricity then powers the electric motors.
Both passengers and the environment benefit from this new design. The solar boat is very quiet; there are no fumes, low vibration, no greenhouse gas emissions and no water pollution. BBC’s Tomorrow’s World described Solar Sailor’s technology as “possibly the greatest evolution in boats since the advent of steam.”
Two of these solar powered ferries (using the same design as the Sydney Harbour Ferry) are planned for passengers in the San Francisco Bay. They will accommodate 600 passengers each and be ready in 2009.
Solar powered boats - Solar panels for power
Solar panels are solar systems that produce electricity directly from sunlight. Solar panels produce clean, reliable electricity without consuming fossil fuels. Solar panel systems are an excellent way to generate energy in remote locations (the oceans) that are not connected to the electric grid.
What are the benefits of solar panels?
1.) Solar panels are highly reliable and easy to maintain. Solar panels have no moving parts, so visual checks and servicing are enough to keep systems up and running. Solar panels are built to withstand hail impact, high wind, and freeze-thaw cycles. Solar panel systems can produce power in all types of weather. On partly cloudy days, they produce as much as 80% of their potential energy. Even on extremely cloudy days, they can still produce about 25% of their maximum output.
2.) Virtually no environmental impact. Solar panel systems burn no fuel and have no moving parts. They are clean and silent, producing no atmospheric emissions or greenhouse gases that are harmful to the earth
3.) Modular and flexible in terms of size and applications. Solar panel systems can be built to any size in response to the energy needs at hand. They can be enlarged or moved easily.
Here's the ling for more information on solar boats and more: http://www.dasolar.com/solar-energy/solar-powered-boats
Solar Powered Plane Takes First Flight
Up, up and away! Solar-powered plane that aims to fly around the world takes off on historic 90-minute flight... at 28mph
A solar-powered plane that has been built to fly around the world took to the skies yesterday on an historic 90-minute flight using not one ounce of fuel. Four propellers lifted the massive 'Solar Impulse' off the ground at a maximum speed of 28mph on the runway at a Swiss military airport. The test flight by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard's team was to see if the plane, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car, could keep a straight path. The team plans to fly it around the world in 2012. Test pilot Markus Scherdel took the prototype plane to 3,280 feet before descending at a snail's pace and touching down smoothly to cheers from spectators. Piccard, who in 1999 copiloted the first nonstop round-the-globe balloon flight with Sir Richard Branson, said: 'To fly without fuel, we have to make it fly in line. There might be things that go wrong - maybe a technical problem, engine failure or a part breakdown.' The £70 million project has been conducting 'flea-hop tests' since December, taking the plane no higher than 2ft in altitude and 1,000ft in distance. A night flight is planned later this year, and then a new plane will be built based on the results of those tests. Using almost 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg plan to take the plane around the world with stops to allow them to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit. With the engines providing only 40 horsepower, the plane will fly almost like a scooter in the sky, at an average flight speed of 44 mph. The trip will be split up into five stages - keeping the plane in the air for up to five days at a time. Solar flight isn't new but Piccard's round-the-world project is the most ambitious. In 1980, the fragile Gossamer Penguin ultra-lightweight experimental solar plane flew short demonstration flights with one pilot on board. A more robust project called the Solar Challenger flew one pilot from France to England in a five-hour trip in 1981. Solar plane technology recalls the early days of manned flight, and the slow ascent of the Solar Impulse was reminiscent of the Wright brothers pioneering experiments over a century ago. 'It's a very important moment after seven years of work,' said Borschberg. Piccard comes from a long line of adventurers. His late father Jacques plunged deeper beneath the ocean than any other man, and grandfather Auguste was the first man to take a balloon into the stratosphere.
Solar plane completes 24-hour flight
Previous flights included a brief "flea hop" and a longer airborne test earlier this year, but this week's attempt was described as a "milestone" by the team and comes after seven years of planning. The team says it has now demonstrated that the single-seat plane can theoretically stay in the air indefinitely, recharging its depleted batteries using 12,000 solar cells and nothing but the rays of the sun during the day. But while the team says this proves that emissions-free air travel is possible, it doesn't see solar technology replacing conventional jet propulsion any time soon. Instead, the project's overarching purpose is to test and promote new energy-efficient technologies. Project co-founder Bertrand Piccard, himself a record-breaking balloonist, said many people had been skeptical that renewable energy could ever be used to take a man into the air and keep him there. "There is a before and after in terms of what people have to believe and understand about renewable energies," Mr. Piccard said, adding that the flight was proof new technologies can help break society's dependence on fossil fuels. The team will now start to build a second solar plane that will be more efficient and have a larger cockpit to allow for longer flights. That plane should be ready for international flights by 2013, said Mr. Borschberg. The round-the-world flight will eventually be made with five stops along the way. Mr. Borschberg took off from Payerne airfield shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday, allowing the plane to soak up the sunshine as he flew gentle loops over the Jura mountains west of the Swiss Alps. The custom-built aircraft with its thin fuselage and the wingspan of a Boeing 777 passenger jet managed to climb to 28,000 feet (8,535 meters) and reached top speeds of over 75 mph (120 kph). Mr. Borschberg, a 57-year-old former Swiss fighter who was wearing a parachute — just in case — dodged low-level turbulence and thermal winds, endured freezing conditions during the night and ended the test flight with a picture-perfect landing to cheers and whoops from hundreds of supporters on the ground. "The night is quite long, so to see the first rays of dawn and the sun returning in the morning — that was a gift," Mr. Borschberg said after touchdown. Mr. Borschberg said he did yoga exercises in the cockpit to stimulate the blood circulation and used breathing exercises and a water spray to stay awake, as the plane has no autopilot. Former NASA chief pilot Rogers E. Smith, one of the project's flight directors, praised Mr. Borschberg's feat of endurance and the overall success of the mission. "We ended up with perhaps 20 percent more energy than we in the most optimistic way projected," Mr. Smith told The AP. After completing final tests on the plane after landing, Mr. Borschberg embraced Mr. Piccard before gingerly unstrapping himself from the bathtub size cockpit he had spent more than 26 hours sitting in. "When you took off it was another era," said Mr. Piccard, who achieved the first nonstop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon, the Breitling Orbiter III, in 1999. "You land in a new era where people understand that with renewable energy you can do impossible things." Mr. Piccard said he was confident the success of the night flight would help to secure the 20 million Swiss francs ($19 million) still missing for the privately funded project with a total budget of 100 million francs ($95 million).
A solar-powered plane that has been built to fly around the world took to the skies yesterday on an historic 90-minute flight using not one ounce of fuel. Four propellers lifted the massive 'Solar Impulse' off the ground at a maximum speed of 28mph on the runway at a Swiss military airport. The test flight by Swiss adventurer Bertrand Piccard's team was to see if the plane, which has the wingspan of a Boeing 747 and the weight of a small car, could keep a straight path. The team plans to fly it around the world in 2012. Test pilot Markus Scherdel took the prototype plane to 3,280 feet before descending at a snail's pace and touching down smoothly to cheers from spectators. Piccard, who in 1999 copiloted the first nonstop round-the-globe balloon flight with Sir Richard Branson, said: 'To fly without fuel, we have to make it fly in line. There might be things that go wrong - maybe a technical problem, engine failure or a part breakdown.' The £70 million project has been conducting 'flea-hop tests' since December, taking the plane no higher than 2ft in altitude and 1,000ft in distance. A night flight is planned later this year, and then a new plane will be built based on the results of those tests. Using almost 12,000 solar cells, rechargeable lithium batteries and four electric motors, Piccard and co-pilot Andre Borschberg plan to take the plane around the world with stops to allow them to switch over and stretch after long periods in the cramped cockpit. With the engines providing only 40 horsepower, the plane will fly almost like a scooter in the sky, at an average flight speed of 44 mph. The trip will be split up into five stages - keeping the plane in the air for up to five days at a time. Solar flight isn't new but Piccard's round-the-world project is the most ambitious. In 1980, the fragile Gossamer Penguin ultra-lightweight experimental solar plane flew short demonstration flights with one pilot on board. A more robust project called the Solar Challenger flew one pilot from France to England in a five-hour trip in 1981. Solar plane technology recalls the early days of manned flight, and the slow ascent of the Solar Impulse was reminiscent of the Wright brothers pioneering experiments over a century ago. 'It's a very important moment after seven years of work,' said Borschberg. Piccard comes from a long line of adventurers. His late father Jacques plunged deeper beneath the ocean than any other man, and grandfather Auguste was the first man to take a balloon into the stratosphere.
Solar plane completes 24-hour flight
Previous flights included a brief "flea hop" and a longer airborne test earlier this year, but this week's attempt was described as a "milestone" by the team and comes after seven years of planning. The team says it has now demonstrated that the single-seat plane can theoretically stay in the air indefinitely, recharging its depleted batteries using 12,000 solar cells and nothing but the rays of the sun during the day. But while the team says this proves that emissions-free air travel is possible, it doesn't see solar technology replacing conventional jet propulsion any time soon. Instead, the project's overarching purpose is to test and promote new energy-efficient technologies. Project co-founder Bertrand Piccard, himself a record-breaking balloonist, said many people had been skeptical that renewable energy could ever be used to take a man into the air and keep him there. "There is a before and after in terms of what people have to believe and understand about renewable energies," Mr. Piccard said, adding that the flight was proof new technologies can help break society's dependence on fossil fuels. The team will now start to build a second solar plane that will be more efficient and have a larger cockpit to allow for longer flights. That plane should be ready for international flights by 2013, said Mr. Borschberg. The round-the-world flight will eventually be made with five stops along the way. Mr. Borschberg took off from Payerne airfield shortly before 7 a.m. Wednesday, allowing the plane to soak up the sunshine as he flew gentle loops over the Jura mountains west of the Swiss Alps. The custom-built aircraft with its thin fuselage and the wingspan of a Boeing 777 passenger jet managed to climb to 28,000 feet (8,535 meters) and reached top speeds of over 75 mph (120 kph). Mr. Borschberg, a 57-year-old former Swiss fighter who was wearing a parachute — just in case — dodged low-level turbulence and thermal winds, endured freezing conditions during the night and ended the test flight with a picture-perfect landing to cheers and whoops from hundreds of supporters on the ground. "The night is quite long, so to see the first rays of dawn and the sun returning in the morning — that was a gift," Mr. Borschberg said after touchdown. Mr. Borschberg said he did yoga exercises in the cockpit to stimulate the blood circulation and used breathing exercises and a water spray to stay awake, as the plane has no autopilot. Former NASA chief pilot Rogers E. Smith, one of the project's flight directors, praised Mr. Borschberg's feat of endurance and the overall success of the mission. "We ended up with perhaps 20 percent more energy than we in the most optimistic way projected," Mr. Smith told The AP. After completing final tests on the plane after landing, Mr. Borschberg embraced Mr. Piccard before gingerly unstrapping himself from the bathtub size cockpit he had spent more than 26 hours sitting in. "When you took off it was another era," said Mr. Piccard, who achieved the first nonstop circumnavigation of the globe in a balloon, the Breitling Orbiter III, in 1999. "You land in a new era where people understand that with renewable energy you can do impossible things." Mr. Piccard said he was confident the success of the night flight would help to secure the 20 million Swiss francs ($19 million) still missing for the privately funded project with a total budget of 100 million francs ($95 million).
