Green boat plans round-the-world journey
A solar-powered aircraft has already completed a full round-the-world voyage. Now a boat, powered only by vertical-axis wind turbines, solar panels and stored hydrogen, is being prepared to follow suit.
The Energy Observer is currently being worked on in a shipyard at Saint Malo in France by a team of naval architects, backed up by the CEA-Liten renewable-energy-technology research institute.
The design is based on a catamaran that won the Jules Verne trophy for a team sailing non-stop around the globe in 1994. It has been extended by six metres to accommodate the turbines, solar panels, electric motors, batteries and electrolysis equipment.
In normal operation the electric motors will be fed by wind and solar energy. At night, and in low winds, stored hydrogen, generated by electrolysis powered by the solar panels and turbines, will take over.
The team expects the world tour to last around six years.
All very impressive, although perhaps it should be pointed out that the first wind-powered vessel circumnavigation took only half that time, and was completed 494 years ago.
Fossil-fuel figures and facts
$583bn Money invested in the global oil and gas industries in 2015, representing nearly a third of all worldwide energy investment (IEA)
102 Number of North American oil and gas-extraction firms that have filed for bankruptcy since the start of 2015 (Haynes and Boone's Oil Patch Bankruptcy Monitor)
11 Number of proposals to scrap fossil-fuel subsidies put forward by the Obama administration. None has yet been passed by Congress (G20 fossil-fuel subsidy peer reviews)
21% Proportion of Americans who think the US should emphasise more fossil-fuel production, while 73% favour renewable energy (Gallup)
Quote of the month
"We see a broad shift of spending towards cleaner energy, often as a result of government policies. Our report clearly shows that such measures can work, and are key to a successful energy transition. But while some progress has been achieved, investors need clarity and certainty from policy makers" - Fatih Birol, IEA executive director.
Float watch live
If you are fascinated by the emergence of floating wind technology, you no longer have to wait for Ideol to announce the latest update for its Floatgen offshore wind floating platform. You can see for yourself.
The French firm has mounted a camera to overlook the construction site. It takes an image every five hours or so, which is uploaded to on the company website.
In all honesty, it's about as exciting as watching a plank warp in the sun, but should get more interesting as the design takes shape and the turbine is installed.
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