http://www.navhindtimes.in/solar-ferryboats-may-enter-goa-waters/
Solar ferryboats may enter Goa waters
Posted by: nt November 10, 2017 in Goa News
NT NETWORK
PANAJI
Minister for River Navigation Ramakrishna ‘Sudin’ Dhavalikar will visit
Cochin on November 14 and 15, to study the prospects of using solar
power technology in Goa for running ferryboats, as done in Kerala.
Speaking to ‘The Navhind Times,’ Dhavalikar said that although he
perceives some risk factor in running the ferryboats in Goa by adopting
the solar power technology, the river navigation department can consider
using this technology on pilot basis.
“What I want is adopting this technology for a single ferryboat plying
on a shorter route, so that the advantages and disadvantages of the same
can be observed by us,” he said, while maintaining that he is not
willing to put the lives of the ferry commuters at risk by converting
all the state ferryboats into solar-powered vessels, in one go.
The officials of the department of captain of ports will also accompany
Dhavalikar during his Cochin visit.
Speaking further, the Minister for River Navigation said that even
though the solar-powered ferryboat to be used on pilot basis in Goa will
have the required technology, it would also have a back-up of fuel-run
engine, so that if the solar technology refuses to function due to some
technical problem, the engine could be turned on.
Dhavalikar also observed that no risk should be taken in case of
ferryboats because a ferry travelling on a very short route –
Panaji-Betim – had recently got stranded due to gusty winds coupled with
technical failure. “Nevertheless, we will study as to whether the use of
solar-powered ferryboats on longer routes is feasible or not,” he concluded.
Aditya, country’s first solar-powered ferry operating between 2.5 km
Vaikkom and Thavanakkadavu, in Kerala, started functioning from January
12, 2017. The vessel was designed and built by NavAlt Solar and Electric
Boats, in Cochin. The operational data of Aditya, for first 150 days
shows that even the monsoon did not affect the schedule of the boat. The
boat is remotely monitored and trouble-shooting can also be done remotely.
A trip between the two boat points takes 15 minutes and it needs energy
of 5 kWh. The vessel can make total of 22 trips, covering such a
distance, by daily transporting 1,650 people, or 5,80,000 people every
year without burning fuel.
