The Energy Observer, a French-inspired and built catamaran whose masterminds describe it as the world’s first energy-autonomous hydrogen vessel, docked in Athens recently as part of a worldwide experimental tour.
The 30.5-metre-long boat coated with 130 square metres of solar panels has been cruising the Mediterranean. It left its home port of Saint-Malo, France, in April and is expected to return in October.
The Energy Observer began its travels last year with a modest tour of France. The more efficient its engine and experienced its crew becomes, the more ambitious its voyages. The plan is for the ship to head to the North Sea next year and outside Europe afterwards, up until 2022.
During its six-year global tour, the Energy Observer will make 101 stopovers in 50 countries. The object of the experimental voyage is to optimise the ship’s innovative onboard technologies in extreme conditions to prove they can also be viable on land.
Without emitting any greenhouse gases or particles, the Energy Observer can be fully energy-autonomous for about 10 days. It reaches speeds of up to eight knots and carries a crew of between four and eight.
The catamaran uses a combination of solar panels, wind turbines and hydrogen, the latter produced onboard through electrolysis of seawater.
“There isn’t a unique solution to climate change, but rather plenty of possibilities”, said Victorien Erussard, the Energy Observer’s captain and founder.
The Energy Observer was built in 2017 under the leadership of European research institute CEA-Liten.
