Energy Observer Catamaran Will Circumnavigate The Globe To Promote Renewable Energy (Assignment 2 Topic - 2)

[Arslan Ijaz]

https://cleantechnica.com/2017/04/24/energy-observer-catamaran-will-circumnavigate-globe-promote-renewable-energy/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+IM-cleantechnica+%28CleanTechnica%29

[Arslan Ijaz]

This is a very nice article describing the history of energy observer, recent work that is being done on it, new technology that has been introduced on the boat to generate power and the prime purpose behind all of this work. As article tells, before an airplane and now a boat to travel around the world to promote sustainability is a nice effort. Energy observer has a whole set of engineering in it, I am amazed with all of these different sources that they have put into this boat to generate power. It is impressive to see a combination of solar, wind and water energy to generate renewable energy. Specially designing solar panels, propellers in the water, wind energy and finally from sea water to hydrogen fuel is an amazing piece of art that has been put together into the energy observer. I wish them good luck for their travel and hopefully their effort towards renewable energy will bring some positive outcome. 

[Chun S]

I believe it is a great idea to make the boats that are fully operated by renewable energy. And it could generate the power without the tall buildings block the sunshine or wind. However, maintaining the equipment might become a challenge as offshore wind farm has much shorter lifespan than onshore wind farm, and the power generation drops 20% after the first year. 

[Wojciech Trawinski]

I found this article particularly interesting because I share a hobby in sailing catamarans. When done correctly, a catamaran can be sailed using just the slightest breeze, obviously this only applies to small vessels but the idea remains. Creating a large vessel capable or sailing around the globe using only renewable energy is an amazing accomplishment. Not only is the feat aimed at protecting the wonderful oceans on which we sail, but it also served to prove a point to the world. One does not have to sacrifice luxury experiences in order to be environmentally friendly. Similar to a previous article I’ve discussed, the BMW EV, the way to show people that being green doesn’t mean being low quality is to build marry high quality and high performance. This catamaran does this exceptionally. I know this isn’t meant to be a commercial application to sell to the general public, but I think if it were, many sailors would enjoy the fact that they could be out at sea for prolonged periods of time without need to refuel at port. 

[Arslan Ijaz]

Wojciech Trawinski, I agree with your response to this article. Sometimes it is more important to be able to convey a message through an action or object rather than commercializing something. I believe that same principle applies here, their purpose is to promote the importance of the use of renewable energy resources. 

[Martinez, Alfred S.]

Mr. Erussard and Mr. Delafosse are true pioneers with a very powerful message: 

"Our vision of the future consists in drawing our energy from nature, without damaging it, and without wasting it. This is the vision we wish to share throughout the planet with our innovative project." - http://www.energy-observer.org/en/#projet

I commend them on their voyage and support their mission. It's great to see them spreading awareness about sustainable and green energy. Additionally, I think it's exceptional that they decided to retrofit and repurpose an already iconic vessel, Formula Tag. This really sends the message that they don't like to be wasteful of materials. If anyone would like to keep track of the Energy Observer's journey and location, please find it at: http://energyobserver.geovoile.com/tourdumonde/2017/tracker/?lg=en

Also, it seems as if the catamaran is open to the public when docked. It would be interesting to see if anyone of us are lucky enough to hop on aboard a local port. I haven't been able to find their stops on their website though.

[Dobhal, Shivani]

The whole process of reverse osmosis on sea water to split it into hydrogen and oxygen ions and then using hydrogen fuel to harness electric energy is fascinating. Use of 3D printers to create corals and creating plastic using seaweed is a great way for Energy Observer to demonstrate responsible ecological behaviors ands contribute towards a greener future.