Going Green - Solar replaces Skates
by Des Ryan on 27 Jun 2008
Some have two crew SW
They don't have sails, but they are just as Green. They don't have petrol or diesel motors, but some of them could challenge your average motor boat and win. They're solar powered, but they're not in the tropics with a lot of sun. For the second year, forty solar-powered boats are now racing each other through the canals, rivers, and lakes of the Netherlands.
The Frisian Solar Challenge is underway in Friesland, a northern province in the Netherlands. The 137-mile solar boat race started on June 23 in Leeuwarden, the capital of Friesland, and follows the classic route of the 'Eleven City Tour', which used to be taken on skates in the winter until 1997, after which there has not been enough ice, presumably because of Global Warming. The hardy Friesians have adapted, and the result is the solar race.
Following canals, rivers, and lakes, with the occasional portage, the race this year has 40 teams from eight countries, including Germany, Belgium, Great Britain, Luxemburg, Poland, Sweden, and even Brazil, as well as the Netherlands.
The race is divided into three classes: the A class is for one-person boats, the B class is for two-person boats, and the open or C class can have a crew of any size.
To keep costs down, entries in the A and B class can borrow solar panels from the race's sponsors, Sharp and The Sun Factory. (This second edition of the Frisian Solar Challenge is made possible by the sponsoring of the energy company Eneco, Rabobank, Sharp, and The Sun Factory.)
The six-day race concludes on June 28 back at its starting point in Leeuwarden.
The Province of Fryslân and a large number of municipalities along the route support the race. The teams registering for the Frisian Solar Challenge are not allowed to participate straight away - The technical committee of the Frisian Solar Challenge evaluates the boats several times during their construction.
Aims of the Race:
The aim of the organizers of the Frisian Solar Challenge is to connect the elements of the historical Frisian Eleven Cities Skating Race to this race with its young participants (students from universities in the Netherlands and abroad) and new applications of solar energy in the shipping industry.
The Frisian Solar Challenge is also a place for new encounters: The participating teams from high-tech companies and students from around the world are provided the opportunity to meet the Frisian people.
However, the greatest challenge is to show that you do not need to live in a sun-drenched tropical country to be able to generate and apply solar power. That fact was indisputably proven last year by the first race along the Eleven Frisian Cities.
To follow the race go to the Frisian Solar Challenge website.
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