First Solar-Powered Submarine in the Works
- Nov 25, 2008 12:09 PM EST
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A solar submarine might sound like an oxymoron, but it would soon become reality under Swiss company BKW FMB Energie's Project Goldfish. The submarine in question is meant for Lake Thun in the Swiss Alps and measures 30 meters in length and 10 meters in height. It can stay submerged for 30 minutes and can carry a total of 24 people. So how exactly does a submarine go about being powered by solar energy, you ask?
Putting the solar panels on the submarine itself would be useless, of course, so the panels would have to be placed on a separate structure altogether. The picture you see above is that of a floating platform that's sort of like a lily pad connected to the submarine below the surface. The platform is composed of a hub that acts as the supply center surrounded by five auxiliary extensions which carry the solar panels. The whole solar array cover a collective area of 300 square meters and produce 30 kilowatts of power overall. The electricity generated will mainly be used to recharge the deep cycle batteries of the submarine.
The array, however, is able to produce enough power not only to recharge the batteries though, but also maintain the platform's position via GPS and even power some applications at the shore. Additionally, the platform not only would provide renewable energy for the submarine, but will also save energy that would otherwise be used to go to and from shore for recharging.