Ladies and gentlemen - meet the solar sailor

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The Montana boys have pulled out another corker from the world wide web – this time, it’s solar-powered boats.

The sails are actaully photovaltaic cells.

The Solar Sailor is a ferry that transports people around Sydney harbor using about half has much fuel as it would need without its solar panel-covered wings. The wings are movable to allow the panels to track the sun when it’s sunny. Or, if more energy can be gained from the wind, they can act as traditional sails. Finally, when weather is too rough for the sails to be out, they simply flatten against the ferry and the diesel motor takes over.

The Solar Sailor first started tooling around Sydney five years ago during the Olympics. But, so far, the idea hasn’t spread. There is talk, however, of a similar design taking over tourist trips to the Statue of Liberty!