Hybrid vessel sails through Sydney Harbour

Anyone who has visited the Sydney Opera House lately is likely to have seen a vessel with large solar panels cruising around Sydney Harbour.

This hybrid vessel, the product of Solar Sailor Holding Ltd., uses a combination of fuel and solar energy.

With tightening environmental regulations and rising fuel prices, solar-powered watercraft offer an alternative solution toward "hydrogen economy", said Robert Dane, chief executive officer of Solar Sailor Holding Ltd.

Speaking to visiting eco-innovators from Asia-Pacific countries on board his solar-powered vessel last week, Dane noted that his vessel had proven to be a "popular, cost effective, reliable and easy to operate vessel".

The use of solar-powered vessels not only contributes to the development of sustainable energy solutions, but also reduces pollution.

A few years ago, Dane, a country doctor and a keen sailor, decided it was time to replace diesel-powered ships, and the noise and pollution they caused, with vessels that used the sun and the wind -- "solar sailing ships".

In 1997 Dane sold his practice, patented the "solar wing" concept, founded Solar Sailor Pty. Ltd., raised capital and began working part time on building a six horsepower solar sailor prototype, the Marjorie K.

Solar Sailor uses electric motors powered by a combination of energies -- a hybrid -- to meet commercial schedules.

The hybrid power does not replace conventional engines, it makes more efficient use of them, particularly in stop-start situations.

This hybrid power is especially ideal for intermittent and low-speed applications. At low speeds, the system operates on stored energy and can do so producing zero emissions.

At high speeds, a generator is used to power the electric drive directly. So although fuel is being used, it is being used far more efficiently.