Peninsular and Oriental Ferries (P&O) have made large strides towards minimising their carbon footprint, but how soon can we expect solar powered ferries. Murali Podila investigates.

The company is aiming for a low emissions target based on factors such as tides, currents, and wind and wave conditions – a key definer of the amount of fuel used in ferries.

P&O has equipped one of its ferries with scrubbers to remove dangerous sulphur dioxide gases which produce acid rain. These scrubbers have earned the company international acclaim and spurred on hopes for a solar power driven ferry.

Perhaps one day ferries will be entirely powered by solar energy. First, however, some issues must be addressed. To run a ferry on batteries for an extended period of time, or power a full deck of cars and passengers with the sun, would be immensely pricey, not to mention unreliable due to weather conditions.

In the future P&O may decide to use large solar panels, which can act as sails, transforming sunlight into enough energy to power a ferry. Similar innovative designs are already in place around the world.

Alcatraz Cruises, a tourist company in America, has designed a hybrid vessel system which adapts to its surrounding conditions, efficiently gathering energy during sunny days and using a motor during rough weather. The Solar Sailor in Sydney harbour is similarly designed for efficiency, gathering energy from both wind and solar activity.

Energy produced in overcast conditions is only around a fifth of what sunlight can produce through solar panels, which, unfortunately, already generate only small amounts of usable energy. Gathering sufficient amounts of energy from the sun to move a ferry may, for now, sadly only be a romantic dream.

Image credit: Bob the courier

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