It’s difficult to comprehend how a luxury mega yacht with its onboard Jacuzzi, flat screen TV and decadent trappings could ever be environmentally friendly and self sufficient. Even a medium-sized motor boat can burn through several hundred litres of diesel in an hour not to mention the power required for all the gadgets on board. However there are boat designers out there dedicated to finding a solution.

Paracas Yachts, a new Miami-based company comprised of a group of yachting enthusiasts, are returning to the idea of “wind-powered sailing” by extracting power from the wind. Relying purely on wind-powered sails is unrealistic as many yachts need engines during calm weather or when arriving in the harbour. However Paracas’ new, green mega-yachts use modern batteries that mean a proportion of the power can be saved for future use and running costs are significantly reduced.

The boats collect their energy using traditional sails. Each hull has an underwater duct and when the boat is under sail, water forced through the duct turns the blades of a small hydroelectric generator that charges a bank of lithium-ion batteries. As soon as engines are required an electrically powered water jet can be fired from below the stern which propels the boat forward.

The 48-metre, three-masted Paracas 158, the company’s largest vessel, should be able to run all of its refrigeration, air-conditioning, lights and other electronics for a week or more without having to start its two backup diesel generators or rely on a dockside power source. All it takes to recharge the batteries is an afternoon sail out at sea. If the sun is shining gallium-arsenide solar cells can also be set up to charge the batteries.

This new system could also reduce fuel consumption for many commercial vessels, such as refrigerated cargo ships that are currently guilty of very polluting exhaust emissions.

So the next time you’re sunning yourself on a pimped up yacht in the middle of the ocean, be sure to bring up the topic of wind-powered sails to the owner.

www.paracasyachts.com

Source: en.nauticawebnews.com