Energy Observer on stopover in Thailand from 25 April
by Energy Observer 27 Apr 2022 06:16 PDT
Energy Observer in Pattaya, Thailand © Ocean Marina
Energy Observer continues to sail across the oceans in south-east Asia, the 71st stopover of its round the world Odyssey being in Thailand.
Following an ambitious stopover in Singapore, which gathered major players in the maritime transport and energy industries around the vessel and its pedagogical exhibition village, our floating laboratory left the city-state to set course for Thailand, with Pattaya as its designated entry port.
The region's energy sovereignty challenges
Thailand's energy policy consists of reducing its dependence on natural gas to bolster its energy independence. The country has a long and rich history, attaining universal access to electricity several decades ago, with its energy consumption per inhabitant doubling over the past 20 years. Today, Thailand aspires to become the 'Silicon Valley of Asia', by completely transforming its electricity sector and investing heavily in renewable energies.
Similarly, Bangkok is eager to become 'Asia's electric transport capital', with 1-million electric vehicles planned by 2025, increasing to 15 million by 2035. Electric ferries already transport passengers across the Chao Phraya River, which flows through the capital. From wind farms to hybrid solar/hydropower plants, solar farms, photovoltaic rooftops, and biomass power plants, all the different options and possibilities have been implemented to reduce the need to import fossil fuels. It's a crucial decade for Thailand and its economic development and Energy Observer is keen to document it during its round the world Odyssey.
Energy Observer's production team will be on hand to document the different solutions designed to support the country's energy transition. Our team will further assess the challenges linked to preserving the country's biodiversity in the face of mass tourism and overfishing.
Such challenges fully resonate with Energy Observer's role as the first French ambassador for Sustainable Development Goals.
Energy Observer, a unique vessel
Setting sail from its port of registry of Saint Malo in 2017, Energy Observer has already covered over 48,000 nautical miles, made 71 stopovers, 16 of which have been with its travelling educational village, and visited over 40 countries. A development of a legendary catamaran, whose many accolades include being the fastest sailboat around the world with Sir Peter Blake, Energy Observer is a laboratory for ecological transition designed to push the envelope with regards zero-emission technologies. From hydrogen to sun, wind and tidal power, all manner of solutions have been experimented with, tested and optimised to make clean energies a practical reality accessible to all.
"Energy Observer is an experimental platform for tomorrow's energies. It is an intelligent, revolutionary boat which navigates the oceans without damaging the planet. Its electric propulsion is fueled by renewable energies: sun, wind and marine currents. However, what makes it unique is its capacity for storing its energy in the form of hydrogen produced from seawater, a technology which enables it to navigate the globe entirely self-sufficiently. Today, it's important to give innovation meaning and use it to overcome the challenges facing humanity." - Victorien Erussard, Captain and founder of Energy Observer.
An Odyssey to accelerate energy and ecological transition
In light of humanity's multiple challenges, the main missions of the Energy Observer expedition consist of accelerating transition through innovation, by demonstrating how well the on-board technologies and energy mix work in extreme environments and how they can be duplicated on a wider scale both on land and at sea.
As the first French ambassador of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, this circumnavigation of the globe also aims to explore all the solutions that favour ecological transition and raise awareness among all the public audiences, decision-makers and manufacturers about this necessary transition through a series of inspirational and educational content (documentary films, web series, scientific articles and a travelling exhibition...).
Practical information:
- Pattaya: from 25 to 29 April 2022
- Hua Hin: from 29 April to 19 May
- Koh Samui: from 23 to 27 May
*The boat can be viewed but cannot be visited by the general public
Find the video news release