Elemental as Anything

by Jeni Bone on 21 May 2008 Solar powered craft are the way of the future, according to Dr Robert Dane, CEO at Solar Sailor, pioneering hybrid ferries and committed to making a difference to the environment and the bottom line.

'Insects evolved wings initially as solar collectors then used them to fly.
So why not evolve wings onto boats as solar collectors and use them to sail?'

So pondered Dr Robert Dane, the mind behind the invention and evolution of the solar-hybrid ferry and its Flexicell solar panel technology. His dream has become reality, hailed as a revolution in marine travel.

Since winning the Australian Design of the Year Award in 2001, his company, Solar Sailor, headed by Chairman Hon. Bob Hawke, has been successfully commercialising its hybrid electric power systems in the world market as well as selling its Flexicell solar panels.

According to Dr Dane, 'Hybrid marine power' (HMP) and 'solar wing' technology are suitable for a wide range of applications, from small-unmanned vessels to large tankers, including ferries, tourist cruisers and private yachts.

Like hybrid cars, the HMP system combines the efficiency of electric drive with the power of conventional drives.

The HMP system can incorporate the use of alternative fuels such as biofuels or gaseous fuels. The HMP system also adds renewable energy available particularly the sun and the wind via the 'solar wing' a single device, which harvests both sun and wind energy in a seaworthy manner at sea.

Born and educated in Sydney, Dr Robert Dane MBBS, DRACOG has always been a keen rower and sailor on Sydney Harbour.

He started his career as a medical doctor running a successful rural practice on the NSW South Coast for 10 years where he was chairman of several hospital and medical committees.
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In 1996, he conceived and patented the Solar Wing concept, founded Solar Sailor Pty Ltd, raised capital and project managed the research and development, design and construction of the highly successful Marjorie K prototype.

As he recalls: 'I saw the 1996 solar boat race in Canberra, which Incat won with a solar cat with a panel that tilted. I saw this and wondered how you would build a ‘solar sailing’ boat, which was seaworthy and how you could ‘motor sail’ – use sun and wind together.

'So with this in mind I developed the criteria for a solar sailing vessel. It had to be seaworthy. It had to use existing technology. It had to use the wind and the sun. And then, I went back to my medicine.

'But all the while I kept thinking. There are a whole lot of reasons why solar boats make sense. It’s much easier to carry batteries on a boat. Plus there’s more reflected light out on the water.

'In fact, the first day that we took our solar sailor out on Sydney Harbor we blew every fuse on the boat.'

Then one day six months later, Dr Dane woke up at 4 o’clock in the morning with the answer: solar wings.

'Basically a wingsail that is pivotally mounted. I remember thinking when the storms come, you can fold the wings down onto the roof of the boat like a beetle. Then the wind could go over the top and it would still collect solar energy.'

The following year he entered the Marjorie K a hobi-cat with two wings in the Canberra solar boat race and won it resoundingly.

He then raised funds and gathered State and Federal government to construct a functioning 100-person commercial eco-tourism ferry in time for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. From that success, he and his highly qualified team have expanded with the focus of commercialising the concept worldwide.

Described by the BBC program, Tomorrow’s World as 'possibly the greatest evolution in boats since the advent of steam', these hybrid craft are known by the tagline: 'green ferries for blue highways'.

Despite higher upfront capital costs to introduce the ferries into operation, Dr Dane says the benefits are enormous.

The technology benefits both passengers and the environment – low noise, fumes, vibration, wash, air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions and no water pollution.

The technology is not just applicable to environmentally sensitive waterways, explains Dr Dane, all marine transport where constant high-speed operations are not required, should be using this technology. When high speeds are required, a generator is used to power the electric drive direct, although fuel is being used, it is being used far more efficiently.

Dr Dane elaborates: 'As well as fuel savings, passenger comfort, lower impact on constituents of waterways and benefits environment in terms of low noise and wash, the unique attribute is a lack of emissions at wharf – carcinogenic fumes and greenhouse emissions.'

Conventional ferries use propellers to dock and keep themselves at the wharf. Dr Dane cites studies from the US Water Transit Authority that show the wharf is where the fossil fuel (diesel) is burnt least efficiently and where emissions of particulates and carcinogens are greatest, have the least chance to disperse and have greatest effect on human health.

'Diesel exhaust consists of fine particles and gases. Fine particles cause emphysema, asthma and lung cancer and the gases include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, oxides of Nitrogen, paraldehydes and more.

'These chemicals are listed in Proposition 65 in CA as known to cause humans cancers. Proposition 65 puts the legal onus of proof on the ‘polluter’ to prove a chemical did not cause cancer in an individual (as opposed to other way round).

'I believe recognition of this is like where we were in the 1980s with cigarette smoking. People were smoking in restaurants, planes trains etc but some people got cancer from the passive smoke, and so the correct dose of smoke was determined to be zero.

'The correct dose of diesel emissions at city docks should also be zero and the only technology able to do that today is hybrid.'

In 2002, Solar Sailor was recognised for its environmental leadership, Dr Robert Dane being made SEDA Green Ambassador of Sustainable Energy.

The Gold Coast is the first city to adopt the technology, planning to launch its own Solar Coast Cats ferry in spring 2009 as a commuter service from the Broadwater to Broadbeach. S

an Francisco and a city in Germany will soon follow and Dr Dane reports Europe, the Middle East and the US are interested in buying the technology for their own versions.

'In designing new technology, there has to be a convincing balance between commerciality and environmental benefits when the economics of the bottom line is generally more important to operators than ecological issues,' says Dr Dane.

'The key challenge in marketing to a traditional industry is building their awareness of the long term benefits both to the hip pocket and to the planet: lower operating costs, improved reliability and technology that exceeds all existing and proposed environmental regulations.'

In June last year, the company’s US subsidiary UOV LLC (uovehicles.com) based in Virginia, received a Phase 1 US Navy grant for the development of its patented unmanned ocean vehicles (UOVs).

The automated and networked UOVs will be used for military and coast guard purposes, and have commercial and oceanographic applications including tsunami early warning systems.

SSHL now has contracts with Taiwan and another under negotiation with Qingdao Shipyard in China; agents across Asia, Europe and the US. Contracts are pending in Australia and India as well as many other 'works in progress' on the world stage.

The Sydney Solar Sailor continues to operate successfully in a very competitive market. In 2002/3 SSHL signed a further 3yr plus 3yr lease with Captain Cook cruises.

Dr Dane believes diesel will one day be phased out in favour of completely solar powered vessels. 'When energy storage improves – at the moment batteries currently hold a tenth of the energy of the same weight of fuel.

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