Solar ferry ready for trial in Alappuzha

The boat, made of fibre glass, is 20 metres in length and 7 metres in width. It will have a maximum cruising speed of 7.5 knots.

November 07, 2016 12:00 am | Updated December 02, 2016 02:04 pm IST - ALAPPUZHA:

A foreign 75-seater solar ferry, the model of which has been adopted for making a ferry by a Kerala-based enterprise.— File Photo

A foreign 75-seater solar ferry, the model of which has been adopted for making a ferry by a Kerala-based enterprise.— File Photo

A solar ferry, being built in the private sector for Kerala State Water Transport Department, is ready for trial. The 75-seater boat constructed by NavAlt, an enterprise based in Kerala, will be taken from the manufacturing site of the enterprise at Aroor to water bodies in the coming days. A formal launch of the boat would be done soon after the successful trials.

The boat, made of fibre glass, is 20 metres in length and 7 metres in width. It will have a maximum cruising speed of 7.5 knots, according to Sandith Thandasherry, a naval architect and head of NavAlt, a joint venture with a French company. The imported lithium battery pack and motor console were fitted on the boat recently after completion of the work on the hull and superstructure. The noiseless and pollution-free operation would make a remarkable change from the conventional ferries that use diesel as fuel.

The solar ferry is planned for operation on the Thavanakkadavu-Vaikkom route, stretching about 2.5 km. The solar ferry, made of fibre glass, will be costlier than the conventional boat made of steel, but the operating and maintenance cost of the former will be much lower than the latter, according to the company representatives. The battery could be charged by plugging on to an electric circuit. The solar ferry is also expected to get subsidy from the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.

The company has already made a 20-seater solar boat for a tourism operator in Punjab. Solar power could be utilised to operate houseboats in Alappuzha and elsewhere. Such an initiative could bring in considerable reduction in pollution emanating from the operation of diesel-powered engines on the boats. Slight alteration in the roofs of conventional houseboats would have to be made to accommodate solar panels.

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