Auriga Leader has 328 solar panels to provide 40 kilowatts, about 10% of the ship's power while sitting idling in dock. This amount of energy is the equivalent to the power used by ten average homes.
"This is the first ship to direct the solar power into the ship's main
electrical grid. It's helping all of the time, and its helping with everything,
like the ship's thrusters and the hydraulics for the steering gear," said Brian
Mason, national manager of marine logistics and export for Toyota.
Green port
The panels are installed on the ship’s car-carrier, and then connected to the
onboard 440 volt electrical network. Nippon Yusen K.K. and Nippon Oil Corp
created the Auriga Leader's US$ 1.6 million innovative green technology solar
power grid. The cargo ship has a length of 200 meters (656 ft) and gross tonnage
of 60,000 GT, which is capable of carrying 6,400 automobiles.
Portion of the Port of Long Beach
Richard Steinke, executive director of the Port of Long Beach said of the joint demonstration project, "From our standpoint, it's another positive step," to reduce diesel emissions and the release of greenhouse gas.
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Toyota employs the Japanese hybrid solar powered vehicle carrier ship 'Auriga Leader'
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