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Here's All You Need To Know About India's First Solar Boat 'Aditya' On Its Fifth Anniversary
Writer: Ratika Rana
Her primary objective is to inform, promote, educate and cultivate readers through writing.
Kerala, 31 May 2022 9:35 AM GMT
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A literature lover who likes delving deeper into a wide range of societal issues and expresses her opinions about the same. Keeps looking for best-read recommendations while enjoying her coffee and tea.
Creatives : Ratika Rana
Her primary objective is to inform, promote, educate and cultivate readers through writing.
The Aditya, from NavAlt Boats, is a sun-powered commuter ferry The boat makes 22 trips with 75 people on board – that’s 580,000 people a year – and the charging cost to top up the batteries is US$2.60 per day.
Aditya became India's first solar-powered boat and the largest solar-powered boat in the country in 2017. Built by NavAlt Solar & Electric Boats for Kerala State Water Transport Department, the boat became the first commercially viable solar-powered vehicle in India and the World.
The boat has a seating capacity of 75 passengers for a single trip and can run comfortably for six hours without any external charge. The boat boasts of the highest safety standards after being built under the IRS (Indian Register of Shipping) class, guaranteeing the highest reliability standards.
Ferries 5,80,000 People In A Year
The NavAlt team started designing the ferry in 2014 with advanced material and state-of-the-art design. Lighter materials like Aluminium and GRP were used, which drastically reduced the ferry's weight on water. The boat makes 22 trips with 75 people on board – that's 580,000 people a year – and the charging cost to top up the batteries is US$2.60 – two dollars and sixty cents a day – preventing the burning of 58,000 litres of diesel and saving ₹4,612,000 – US$ 65,000 a year, LiveMint reported.
A typical ferry boat operating in the Vaikom-Thavanakkadavu sector, a distance of only 2.8 km, charges only four rupees for each side. However, it costs around 100 litres of fuel per day for 22 trips it would make. Since solar ferries function without any engines, the fuel costs are not applicable. While on the one hand, Aditya costs US$ 79 per month for its operational expenses, diesel-run boats cost nearly US$2867.
Aditya is also a proud recipient of the First Gussies Award for the Best Electric Ferry in the World in memory of Gustave Trouvé and the Solar Impulse Foundation Efficient Solution Label as a profitable and eco-friendly solution. Since it was a one-of-its-kind idea, the government of India and the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy agreed to sponsor the project.
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