Solar Goes To Sea

Dutch maritime solar company, Wattlab reports it has delivered a seaworthy solar energy system for globally operating shipping, trading, and maritime services company Vertom.

It has been installed on the recently-delivered, 7,280 dwt diesel-electric multi-purpose cargo vessel Vertom Tula. The solar system represents a major technical milestone and a step forward for sustainable shipping. Wattlab has delivered and installed 44 Solar Flatracks that will provide power to onboard systems, reducing 20% of the hotel load. 

Dutch-based Vertom operates a fleet of over 100 vessels, ranging from 1,500 dwt to 12,000 dwt. It carried out two pilot projects with Wattlab before deciding to fully outfit this newbuild.

After production and assembly in September in Wattlab’s brand new production facility in Rotterdam, the 44 Solar Flatracks were installed onboard within a day in the Port of Harlingen. Bo Salet, co-founder and CEO of Wattlab, explains that the Solar Flatracks can be installed in a minimum amount of time using container twist lock fittings: “For shipowners, time is money, so speed and ease of use are important. Furthermore, we know that ‘space is money’ too. Hence, should the panels need to be removed to make way for a special type of cargo, the crew can easily stack and store them all on the footprint of one 20ft container.”

“During the pilots, the test results showed that the Solar Flatrack system performs well in the tough coastal shipping environment,” says Thomas van Meerkerk, Business Development Manager at Vertom. “Based on the results of our own and TNO’s research in the past months, we consider Wattlab’s Solar Flatrack an effective option for reducing GHG and pollutant emissions. Of course, these things also depend on the conditions our vessels operate in, but it’s clear that the system can provide both a positive ROI and contribute to CO₂ reduction in shipping.”