14 DAY TRIAL // Starting next year, an eco-friendly boat carrying conservationists and researchers will be sailing up and down the Great Barrier Reef.
The boat, whose construction was commissioned by Queensland’s Department of National Parks, Recreation, Sport and Racing, and the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority will mostly rely on solar power to keep up and running.
It will be fitted with diesel generators, but engineers say that the crew will rarely have to put them to work.
They explain that whatever surplus energy the boat's solar panels generate will be fed into lithium-ion batteries, thus being available for later use.
“The batteries are charged during the day by solar power, allowing the vessel’s diesel generators to remain shut down overnight.
“At these times, the battery bank will supply power for house loads, including air conditioning. In the event of increased demand, the generators will automatically start. Depending on the load case, they will either provide direct power, or charge the batteries,” manufacturers said, as cited by Tree Hugger.
Dubbed the Catamaran Patrol Vessel, the boat will be 25 meters (78.7 feet) long.
It will be able to speed up to 25 knots (46.3 kilometers per hour / 28.76 miles per hour), but odds are it'll cruise at 12-20 knots (22.22 – 37 kilometers per hour / 13.8 – 23 miles per hour) most of the time.