Solar Power

The Electric Boat Association’s fleet includes a growing number of solar boats. Some are run as passenger boats by business members, others are privately owned. The boats are extremely diverse, ranging from small lightweight craft designed to take just one or two crew up to passenger boats capable of carrying 50 or more people, and a private 68ft canal barge which is presently the largest electric boat on the UK’s inland waterways. What all these craft have in common is their use of onboard solar photovoltaic (PV) modules to charge propulsion batteries, producing a very environmentally benign method of transport.

The solar fleet includes Collinda, a 22ft (6.7m) catamaran owned by EBA President Malcolm Moss, in which he made the first-ever solar-powered crossing of the English Channel in 1997; a solar canoe owned by Cedric Lynch which has featured in the Guinness Book of Records and holds the record speed for a solar-powered boat; and the 21ft (6.4m) catamaran Solar Flair in which Paul and Ulrike Lynn made the first-ever solar-powered cruise along the entire non-tidal Thames in 2003 (124 miles, 43 locks).

click image to enlarge Sun21 on her 7,000 mile journey from Basel in Switzerland to New York May 2007 more details
S.B. Collinda	click image to enlarge Solar canoe owned by Cedric Lynch	Solar Flair
Click here for photos of the EBA’s entire solar fleet
The term “solar-powered” should be used with caution. The extent to which a particular boat can run on solar energy depends on its technical design, the amount of photovoltaic cells carried, the solar climate where it is based, and its pattern of use. A private boat, used infrequently and mainly at weekends, may very well get all its propulsion energy from the sun; but a commercial passenger boat offering scheduled daily trips is unlikely to do so and would normally be better described as “solar-assisted”. Such issues have recently been discussed in a Technical Report in Electric Boat News entitled “What is a Solar Boat?” which also introduced a new performance measure known as the Solar Boat Index (SBI). click here to download this article (requires Adobe Reader) A free copy of Adobe Reader can be downloaded here:

Solar Passenger Trip Boats
The following operators offer trips on solar passenger boats.
We recommend you visit the relevant website and/or telephone before
your intended trip to confirm sailing schedules and availability.

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority Boat: Bata Greine 43 ft catamaran Takes up to 12 people from the Duncan Mills Memorial Slipway, Balloch, Loch Lomond. website: www.lochlomond-trossachs.org phone: 01389 722030	Bata Greine
Bluebird Boats Serpentine Hyde Park, London Boat: Solarshuttle 48ft (14.4m) catamaran, Takes up to 42 passengers on trip across the serpentine departs at 30 min intervals (adults £3) website: www.solarshuttle.org phone: 0207 262 1330	Solarshuttle
Chichester Harbour Conservancy (West Sussex) Boat: 46ft (14m) catamaran Solar Heritage. website: www.conservancy.co.uk e-mail: solarboat@conservancy.co.uk phone: 01243 513275	Solar Heritage
Coniston Ferry Services (English Lake District) Two 40ft (12.2m) launches (Ransome and Ruskin) website: www.conferry.co.uk e-mail: info@conferry.co.uk phone/fax: 01539 436216	Ransome
New Era Boat Trips is a new and unique way of traveling along the Caledonian Canal in Inverness. website: www.spanglefish.com/newera email: new.era3@btinternet.com	New Era
Norfolk Broads Authority Boat: 29ft (8.8m) catamaran Ra takes up to 12 people including wheelchair users from Gay's Staithe on a 1¼ hour trip round the recently restored Barton Broad website: www.broads-authority.gov.uk phone: 01603 782281	Ra