'I’m super excited> 1st ever canal-eboat cargo-delivery that does not use fossil fuel or mules'
http://www.oneidadispatch.com/general-news/20151015/solar-powered-powered-boat-plying-the-erie-canal Solar-powered powered boat plying the Erie Canal By Glenn Griffith 10/15/15 [images / Glenn Griffith ggriffith @digitalfirstmedia.com http://www.oneidadispatch.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/OD/20151015/NEWS/151019850/AR/0/AR-151019850.jpg Left to right: Mohawk Scenic Towpath Byway Executive Director Eric Hamilton and David Borton, the captain of Solar Sal at the Schenectady Yacht Club in Rexford http://www.oneidadispatch.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/storyimage/OD/20151015/NEWS/151019850/EP/1/1/EP-151019850.jpg A welcoming party for Solar Sal cuts a red ribbon signifying the voyage opening the Erie Canal to solar powered traffic ] CLIFTON PARK >> After a six day voyage east, the first solar-powered cargo vessel to use the Erie Canal in its long history docked at the Schenectady Yacht Club in Rexford last Friday under soggy skies but exuberant spirits. It’s traveling from Troy to Buffalo. The Oct. 9 arrival of the 40-foot, specially built boat, Solar Sal, coincided with the 75th anniversary of the yacht club and the 10th anniversary of the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway. Representatives of both organizations greeted the vessel, its three person volunteer crew, and its cargo of recycled cardboard. Joining them were Assemblyman Jim Tedisco, R-Glenville, and Clifton Park Supervisor Philip Barrett. “This just shows that the ingenuity and the cutting edge technology that’s available today is being harnessed and used effectively,” Barrett said. “Congratulations to everybody involved. We’re glad to be here.” The boat, with its rooftop photovoltaic [PV] panels, was designed by retired RPI professor David Borton and built by students from the Schodack School District under the guidance of an area boat builder. Borton taught solar energy engineering at the Troy college for 33 years and captained the ship on its canal trip. “The original design for the engines came from the early 1900s when they used Naphtha, an early form of gasoline,” Borton said. “But with the solar cells, even on a cloudy day like this one we could be moving along the canal. It wouldn’t be much more than two or three knots but there’s enough sunlight to give us power.” The boat has a 28 inch draft when loaded and a 24 draft unloaded. When the sun is shining, the boat’s 5kW solar arrays can generate more power than its two Torqueedo electric motors can use. Borton’s engineering skills allows the vessel to run at peak performance (5 knots) using only half power. The ship’s cargo for the trip was 6 bales (12 tons) of recycled cardboard bound for Cascades Paper in Mechanicville. Chamber of Southern Saratoga County Executive Director Pete Barduinas credited members of the yacht club and the Mohawk Towpath Scenic Byway for working hard to preserve the history along the canal. “There’s a lot of things that happened on this canal over a period of years, some of them right here, and that’s fun to see,” Bardunias said. “Now we have Solar Sal making the first ever cargo delivery in the history of the canal that does not use fossil fuel or mules. This boat performed very well in some awful weather. But the cargo is still sitting there as dry as when we loaded it. I’m super excited.” [© Oneida Daily Dispatch] For EVLN EV-newswire posts use: http://evdl.org/evln/ {brucedp.150m.com} -- View this message in context: http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Solar-Sal-PV-eboat-6day-Erie-Canal-Troy-MI-to-Buffalo-NY-voyage-tp4678152.html Sent from the Electric Vehicle Discussion List mailing list archive at Nabble.com. _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
