Last week, I read about the solar power conversion of ferries that travel from San Francisco to Alcatraz Island each day. Because the City by the Bay is one of my favorite places to visit on the West Coast -and it is only about 7 hours’ drive from where I live – I just had to put together a blog post on this topic. I am hoping to take my kids to San Fran for Spring Break in a few months. Trust me when I say that a trip to the famous Alcatraz prison will be among our top tourist attractions!
Each year, about 1.5 million people ride the ferry boats to Alcatraz. Considering the fuel that is required for these numerous trips, Alcatraz Cruises decided to launch the Hornblower Hybrid ferry, to minimize its carbon footprint. More than 150 people ride the ferry each day. To reduce the environmental impact of these multiple trips, the ferry uses a combination of wind and solar power to generate the energy for lighting, navigation and propulsion.
“When the boat is idling or in low propulsion mode it is powered by its batteries, which are charged by its wind turbines and solar panels. Otherwise, the boat runs on Tier 2 marine diesel engines, which the company claims, are cleaner than the standard ones found in these catamarans.”
The Hornblower Hybrid is truly a green ride. Not only is it powered by renewable energy, but it meets the requirements for LEED‘s recycled content in construction. Soon, an additional hybrid ferry will be launched for the popular run.
Even if I wasn’t a solar energy blogger, I would still want my kids to see the awesome power of riding a ferry across the bay with power from the sun. Without these real-life experiences, children may think that alternative energy is but a pipe-dream. By exposing them to the solar powered ferries to Alcatraz Island, they can not only experience an important chapter from our past, but another that is developing our future.
Tags: alcatrez island, hornblower hybrid, solar powered ferries
Leave a Reply