Conceived by Sandith Thandasherry, an IIT Madras graduate.
By Sreekanth A. Nair
Kerala is all set to welcome the first ferry powered by solar energy in the country. The Kerala State Water Transport Department will introduce the ferry service soon.
The largest commercially operated solar-powered mode of transport in the country will have a seating capacity of 75 passengers. The Kerala State Water Transport Department is planning to start operation on Vaikkom-Thavanakkadavu route in Alappuzha district of the state, reported India Climate Dialogue.
The idea behind the solar-powered ferry was conceived and materialized by Sandith Thandasherry, an IIT Madras graduate. He started experimenting solar-powered ferry in 2009 after realizing that solar boats are most needed in passenger transportation. The invention of the fastest solar boat in India had found him a place in Limca Book of Records in the same year.
“The biggest was to manage the boat’s weight control,” he told India climate dialogue. “Since the project has a strong technical committee to review the design and construction with experts in class, composites, Naval architecture and from ANERT and Kerala University, on many occasions, their suggestions for increasing the safety margin would lead to heavier structures, whereas our aim was to compensate this weight increase by choosing lighter materials in other areas.”
The boat was built in joint venture with AltEn, a Kochi-based company in collaboration with a French company in Alappuzha district.
The 20-metre by 7-metre ferry is working on 40-kilo watt propulsive power with a maximum speed of 7.5 knots. It can travel for five to six hours on a single stretch on normal sunny days. There is an option to charge the boat by plugging on to a normal electric circuit during emergencies. It can also store energy and can use it in cloudy situations.
The government has offered to help the innovation. ANERT, the nodal agency of the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy has promised to procure 20 percent more subsidy for the project from the central government.
The most important benefit of solar-ferry is that it doesn’t pollute water and emit air-polluting gasses like petrol/diesel run boats.
“The ferry launch will prove that we can avoid all the problems of a conventional ferry and make it cheaper,” Thandasherry said. “It will be an attractive option in all locations where passenger water transport exists. Furthermore, it will open up new locations where diesel boats cannot run because of noise and pollution, such as dam sites, ecologically sensitive areas, drinking water sources and so on.”