Priuses get solar assist on boat into Long Beach harbor [w/VIDEO]
Solar-assisted ship brings Priuses to CA - Click above to watch the video after the break
Considering that a single container ship may emit as much as 50 million cars, even small reductions of fossil fuel energy needed to import vehicles to the U.S. are a good thing. While soome ship ideas use giant kites, Toyota has partnered up with the NYK Line for a new ship called the Auriga Leader that uses 328 photovoltaic panels to generate up to 40 kW of electricity that reduce demand on the diesel engines. Plans for the ship were announced last year.
The Auriga Leader is owned by NYK and is under contract exclusively to Toyota to bring cars from Japan to the West Coast of the U.S., particularly Long Beach, California. When it arrived in Long Beach earlier this month, the ship unloaded 2,507 Toyota, Lexus and Scion vehicles. The ship has space for up to 6,200 vehicles. There's a video of the arrival after the jump.
[Source: Toyota]
PRESS RELEASE:
NEW TOYOTA PRIUS SAILS IN ON SOLAR POWER
Toyota has helped make maritime history by shipping its cars across the world on board a ship part-powered by solar energy. The Auriga Leader docked in Long Beach, California earlier this month with new Prius and other Toyota and Lexus models on board, destined for the North American market. On its voyage from Japan, the ship was able to harness the power of the sun to reduce demand on its diesel engines.
It is yet another example of how new Prius benefits from clever use of renewable energy sources throughout its life cycle. Solar power provides a large proportion of the electricity used to power the Tsutsumi factory where it is built, and, in a first for a volume production car, Prius can be equipped with its own solar panels to run a fan to keep the cabin cool while the car is parked.
The Auriga Leader is the first vessel of its kind to use solar power in this way, capturing energy through 328 photovoltaic panels mounted on its top deck. The system produces up to 40 kilowatts of electricity, reducing demand on the engines and thus cutting both fuel use and emissions. The technology has been developed as a demonstration project by Toyota Motor Corporation and NYK Line, the vessel's owner and operator. Other ships have used similar concepts, but only to provide power for the crew quarters.
Launched in Kobe, Japan, last December, the 60,000-tonne ship is 200m long and can carry 6,200 vehicles. Its performance contributes towards NYK's aim of reducing its car carrier fleet energy consumption by 50 per cent by 2010, together with a range of other design, technical and operational improvements.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mattias in Durham, NC 1:17PM (7/17/2009)
Please stop equalizing "emissions" to "fossil fuel usage" in these stories about ships. It's not emitting as much CO2 as 50 million cars. The emissions they speak of are due to running ships on unrefined crude oil. The actual headline from the news article was "One giant container ship can emit almost the same amount of cancer and asthma-causing chemicals as 50m cars, study finds"
That said, great application for solar panels!
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Serge 2:36PM (7/17/2009)
Mathias, excellent points overall. The ships, however, do not run on unrefined crude oil, but Heavy Fuel Oil, which is a derivative of crude.
Mattias in Durham, NC 9:48PM (7/17/2009)
I stand corrected
KK 1:24PM (7/17/2009)
> When it arrived in Long Beach earlier this month, the ship unloaded 2,507 Toyota,
> Lexus and Scion vehicles. The ship has space for up to 6,200 vehicles.
So the ship was only filled to 40% of capacity? That doesn't sound very energy-efficient, no matter how many solar panels it's got.
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pinetree 1:38PM (7/17/2009)
It's probably not just stopping in Long Beach. It will likely go up the coast and make a few more stops to drop off cars-- it's easier than dumping them all off and then shipping them overland to Oregon.
BillySharps 1:37PM (7/17/2009)
It was probably full of cars from brands other than Lexus, Toyota and Scion.
John Rowell 1:40PM (7/17/2009)
I was wondering the same thing. Well, we know that due to the current economic climate cars just aren't selling like they used to - so I wonder if it's not uncommon nowadays for car carriers leave at half capacity?
Chris M 10:10PM (7/17/2009)
If this was the initial "maiden" voyage, they probably didn't want to risk overloading it until they were sure the ship would perform to spec. It will probably haul more during later trips.
ronEbear 1:39PM (7/17/2009)
Here`s a solution:
Let`s string LOOOOOOOOONG cables to an from each continent across the sea. Set up some powerful solar powered electric motors to pull the barges. You could even set up some banks of bicycles that people could pedal to "reel-in" the barges.
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asus 1:57PM (7/17/2009)
I have another idea. Lets put big poles in the middle of the ships and put windcatchers on them. The almost constant force of the wind will push the ships accross the ocean and create no emissions! Oh yeah, thats called a sailing ship. :-)
Alan 2:06PM (7/17/2009)
I think there's some research being done into a more modern version of the sailing ship:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/12/19/kite-assisted-ship-to-set-sail-in-january/
dunno if it's any good - but sounds like it's worth a go!
ronEbear 2:33PM (7/17/2009)
Wouldn't`t every ship be sail powered if there enough wind to move these behemoths already? Is oil THAT much cheaper than sails?
Chris M 10:14PM (7/17/2009)
Sails are a lot cheaper than oil, but winds aren't constant, and only recently has sailing been sufficiently automated to avoid the excessive labor costs for a crew to manage the sails.
The Skysail kite idea is even better, as it can reach stronger winds at higher elevations.
mike 1:57PM (7/17/2009)
this is ridiculous! such a publicity scam... 40kilowatts sounds like alot but when you consider a common hair blow dryer is 1.6kw one realizes that 40kw (roughly 52hp) does virtually nothing when you're talking about a 60,000-tonne, 200m long shiP! Theres a million other things they could do to make these ships more effecient and cleaner. How many hp does the ships main engines have? Im guessing >>>>>>>>>>>52hp
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nrb 2:22PM (7/17/2009)
That was kind of my attitude when seeing this.
Also, they go under the assumption that the panels will generate 40KW all of the time. Taking into account clouds and angle of the sun (especially at night), I suspect the average generation is well below 10kW. To put it in perspective, the electric assist in the Prius is about 30kW.
Mike 3:52PM (7/17/2009)
Exactly, the power generated by the ship's engines is on the order of 100,000 horsepower. 52 hp is less than a drop in the bucket. This is a ridiculous publicity stunt. It would be alright if everyone who read this bit of news also read the comments section but I'm not so hopeful.
Chris M 10:19PM (7/17/2009)
No, it doesn't provide enough power to run the ship, but it can provide enough power to run electrical devices on the ship, thus reducing the demand for auxiliary power, and reducing oil consumption. Solar electricity can actually be cost competitive to diesel generated electricity, once the fuel costs and amortized costs are figured in.
It may be a small step, but it is a step in the right direction.
Serge 2:31PM (7/17/2009)
The big news will be installation of emission control equipment on these cargo ships.
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ronEbear 2:34PM (7/17/2009)
+1
JustZisGuy 3:50PM (7/17/2009)
Depending on which Internet source you find, the solar panels are capable of supplying 7%, 10%, or 15% of the ship's electrical load. i.e. it runs some of the lights, maybe a couple of toasters and coffee makers too.
Consider me extraordinarily underwhelmed.
As for ronEbear's question wrt sailing ships: of course there is enough wind, there just isn't enough patience! Consider the value of the cargo on a ship versus the difference in "sailing" time (and reliability), and you have your answer as to why there is a lot of fuel being burned to move products across the oceans. The Auriga Leader, for example, can carry 6400 cars. At an average cost of, say, $20K per car, that's $128 million worth of cargo. What's it worth to you to not have that sailing the high seas for an extra month?
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