The M/V Auriga Leader is the world’s first solar powered cargo ship. Currently docked at the Port of Long Beach, California, the ship boasts an impressive array of 328 solar panels on its top deck. The Auriga Leader is the first ship to direct solar power into a ship’s main electrical grid.
This amazing craft is part of a demonstration project organized by the Port of Long Beach, Toyota and Tokyo-based shipping company, NYK Line, intended to reduce ships’ dependence on diesel fuel and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions even while docked in port.
The solar panels will help power the ship’s thrusters, hydraulics and steering gear, providing up to 40 kilowatts of power, about 10 percent of the ship’s total electricity usage. Anchors away and green sailing!
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