Solar Shuttle - Hyde Park, London, UK
N 51° 30.316 W 000° 10.285
30U E 696299 N 5709808
The Solar Shuttle is a boat that is used to carry passengers across The Serpentine in Hyde Park, London. The boat's electric engines draw their power from the solar panels fitted on the boat. The BBC carried an article about it.
Waymark Code: WMMVVE
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 11/11/2014
Views: 2
The BBC website tells us, in an article dated July 2006:
A shuttle boat powered entirely by the sun is to be launched on the Serpentine lake in London's Hyde Park.
The 14.5m (48ft) Solarshuttle, thought to be the biggest of its kind in the UK, will carry 42 passengers between the north and south of the water.
Cruising at 4mph, the boat - driven by two electric engines - is silent and pollution-free, say the makers.
The Solarshuttle's launch comes amid a heatwave which has driven temperatures in London up to 32.7C (90.9F).
When not in use and docked, any surplus electricity generated by the boat's solar panels will be fed back into the National Grid, they say.
Designer Christoph Behling was also behind one of the world's largest solar boats, the Hamburg Solarshuttle, which now ferries passengers across the city's harbour.
His latest design will ferry park visitors every half-hour between the boat house on the north side of the Serpentine and the jetty in the south, near the Princess of Wales memorial fountain.
Mr Behling's family and friends will be aboard the Solarshuttle for its maiden voyage on Tuesday while members of the public will have to wait until Saturday for their turn.
The Solar Shuttle runs from near the Diana memorial Fountain, on the south west side of The Serpentine, to the Boat House on the north shore. It is a distance of about 600 metres.
The Solar Shuttle website tells us:
Welcome to the UK’s first Solarshuttle, which along with its sister ship the RA operating on the Norfolk Broads, is a magnificent vessel which glides silently across the water powered only by the sun.
Relax with friends and family or clients as you enjoy the beautiful surroundings of Hyde Park from the water.
The Solarshuttle has two extra Ship’s Wheels so that children can enjoy trying their hand at being a Captain for the trip.
The Solarshutle travels between the Diana, Princess Of Wales Memorial Fountain, which is on the south side of the Serpentine and where there is a car-park, to the new Boat House on the northern edge of the lake near the newly-refurbished Dell restaurant.
With its sound-system, lighting and twilight cruise capability, groups, parties and special event bookings are most welcome on board. Please refer to the Events section for more information.
Daily Cruises
Operating times are:
Weekends, school and public holidays between March and the end of September and full-time during June, July and August from 1200 hours. The service runs approximately every half-hour until dusk.
Dogs are permitted at the Captain’s discretion. Special trips can be arranged.
The Tree Hugger website also tells us:
It is slow and travels only a short distance, but builders of the Serpentine Solar Shuttle say it's the most advanced passenger ferry on British waters. Britain's biggest solar-powered boat debuted Tuesday on a lake in London's Hyde Park, opening what its developers hope is a door to the future of solar-powered transportation. The Serpentine Solar Shuttle - powered entirely by the sun - cruises at 5 mph and carries 42 passengers. "This is the most technologically advanced shuttle in the world right now," said designer Christoph Behling, who also designed the world's largest solar boat in Hamburg, Germany. "It is made of entirely stainless steel which means it never gets old. It will pave the way for future boats and trains and other means of transportation," Behling said. The 48-foot-long shuttle has 27 solar panels on its roof, and the energy generated by the sun is enough to keep the boat running. Its maximum journey distance is 82 miles.
Almost no pollutants are given off during the trip because the shuttle has two silent engines - meaning there are no carbon emissions and it is also charged fully by the sun. Even on those dark, rainy days everyone associates with London, Behling said there will be enough sun to keep the ship running. It is expected the boat will save nearly 5,000 pounds of carbon-dioxide per year, compared with a diesel boat of a similar size, according to Gavin Gomes, a spokesman for Sputnik Communications, a London-based energy company. When the ferry is idle, surplus electricity generated by the solar panels will be fed back into the national transmission network. The Serpentine Solar Shuttle cost $421,000 to build - 20 percent more than a diesel boat of a comparable size, Behling said.
He is now working on a 300-passenger solar-powered ferry to run on the Thames, and hopes it could be ready in 2008. A 60-passenger solar-powered train for London's Battersea Park is also in the works.