Although some eco-boats are powered by human fat and others by animal fat, more traditional “fuels” that are clean and green include solar and wind, or both – abundant resources on the open water. Turning a dirty, yet nature-dependent past-time into one that has low- to no-impact is a challenge, but new technologies are making dreams of green boating a near reality.
Imagine a boat that coasts along almost silently and works completely on free energy. OK, well, almost free: when it is cloudy out you may have to pedal a bit to get it going. Still, you get to toss out the pricey gas costs associated with most water cruisers and relax in the sun when the weather is nice and pedal your way to shore when it isn’t.
Sanyo in Japan has constructed an amazing solar-collecting building that embodies both clean-energy ideals and awesome architectural design strategies. The so-called Solar Ark has over 5,000 active solar panels generating over 500,000 KWh of environmentally friendly energy. Nearly 500 multi-colored lighting units placed between the various solar panels can be activated to create a variety of shapes and letters on the sides of this enormous structure.
