New Ship to track : Auriga Leader (Toyota’s Solar Powered Cargo Ship)

That is very cool. Had no idea...

 

Not quite "solar powered" = perhaps solar assisted. Better than nothing - and a good start. Per their site:

The 656-foot, 60,000-ton Auriga Leader will initially transport vehicles being sent for sale overseas by Japan’s top automaker Toyota Motor Corp and harness the energy of the sun in order to reduce fuel costs and cut carbon emissions.
The vessel, developed by shipping line Nippon Yusen K.K. and oil distributor Nippon Oil Corp., is equipped with 328 solar panels that are capable of generating 40 kilowatts of power, initially covering 0.2 percent of the ships energy consumption. However, Nippon Yusen has set a goal ofgoal of halving its fuel consumption and carbon dioxide emissions by 2010.

 

0.2 percent seems rather modest, but a step in the right direction!
I am in the midwest, and patiently awaiting (ha!) my Blizzard Pearl Prius III w/Nav... hope it is on this ship!

 

Well technically speaking, anything that uses oil is "solar powered" since it was the sun's energy that was used to create it in the first place.

 

.2 % - only 99.8% to go!

 

Nice!

 

I read that, when docked, the solar panels power a small fan which circulates air through the cargo hold.

The panels don't function while the ship is moving because the sun is obscurred by bunker oil emissions.

 

And the shipmakers are charging an extra 15% for the solar fan option. I just hope Nav is included.

 

The Solar panel option does come with navigation. It is a map of the constellations.

And the MSRP to install them was $1.68 million. Edmunds will have invoice posted later today.

 

I read that the panels were attached to the "car carrier" and not the ship. What does that mean?

 

It means the writer doesn't know what he's talking about. I've been in the US Merchant Marine for 44 years (the last 35 as Captain of a container ship) and the ship and "car carrier" is the same thing.

But this is the first I've heard of any kind of solar power on any large ship. However, Japan built a medium sized petroleum carrier many years ago that had wind assist. It was a vertical rotating mast with vanes.

 

And here I am, retired from the Navy and thought I had been retired way too long to first hear about ships that could be plucked apart like a lego. I feel better (but not younger) now.

Is the wind assist viable? Seems like that is a more useable source of energy than solar, expecially on the ocean.

 

Ahhh, very cool. All of you will be in your cars soon. YAY! :cheer2:

 

The wind assist mast was about about 1/3 of the way aft (or more properly abaft) of the bow. This was a ship I saw regularly that carried diesel oil from Japan to Honolulu to bunker the tuna boats that used to call Honolulu back in the 70's and 80's.

Japan later transferred the supplying of the tuna fleet to Samoa and I haven't seen that ship in some time.

The mast of was very substantial and I heard what their fuel savings was as a percentage of fuel costs but don't remember the number. However it appeared to be well worth the extra cost of construction. I'm surprised that I haven't seen another ship further proving the concept.

 

There's an Ivory soap commercial waiting to happen!

 

So when your car is "A" status, what does that mean?
I did a search and found an explanation, but did not quite understand. it.

 

Beluga skySails