The innovative system consists of 44 Solar Flatracks, which Wattlab describes as movable, stackable thin plates with integrated solar panels and inverters.
Dutch technology company Wattlab has announced that it has installed a photovoltaic system on a diesel-electric multi-purpose cargo ship owned and operated by Rotterdam shipping company Vertom.
The PV array consists of 44 Solar Flatracks, which the company describes as movable, stackable thin plates with integrated solar panels and inverters. According to Wattlab, the system was deployed on board in the port of Harlingen within one day.
“For shipowners, time is money, so speed and ease of use are important. Plus, we know that space is also money. If the panels need to be removed to transport special cargo, the crew can easily stack and store them within the footprint of a single 20-foot container,” said Bo Salet, CEO of Wattlab.
“During the pilots, the test results showed that the Solar Flatrack system performs well in the tough coastal shipping environment,” said Thomas van Meerkerk, Business Development Manager at Vertom.
Wattlab also said that several tests were conducted by the The Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) has confirmed that the system can significantly reduce CO2 emissions and increase return on investment (ROI) in shipping activities.
“Another advantage is that the panels can remain on the hatch covers during loading and unloading,” the company said. “The crew was initially skeptical and feared a lot of extra work. But it soon became apparent that Solar Flatracks are easy to use in practice and require minimal maintenance. This means that no salt crust forms, because the water can drain freely from the panels.”
A similar system was deployed at De Gerlien van Tiem shipyard in July.
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