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Flexible PV that creates electricity and stores in batteries for the electric motor.
Most sail boats have a motor incase there is no wind. Also they have generators for electricity for gadgets onboard and lighting, kitchen etc. Some sail boats have Electric motors which are very small and have high
torque compared to the size of combustion engines. These electric engines get their power from propellor turbines when sailing. Some electric motors are motors and generators do when the sail boat is sailing the motor acts as a generator to charge batteries. This slows down the sailing ofcourse. My thought, since PV can be integrated in cloth and flexibly material, why not make the sail a big PV?
Solar Fabric for Solar Sails
http://www.flexcell...ducts/products.html
[jurist, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
Thinner Materials Improve Flexible Solar Cells, Flat Panel Displays
http://www.scienced...04/020410075934.htm
From the 'Light Recycling Wallpaper' idea. [phoenix, Oct 04 2004, last modified Oct 21 2004]
Solar Sailor
http://www.solarsailor.com/
Baked, I'm afraid [Iangould, Oct 25 2006]
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We've got a spare mast you can have...kinda looks like this.. |
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Now this is an idea with considerable merit, but it needs flexible PV cells, and I'm not sure how far away from commercialisation that technology is. One of the problems of exising PV installations is the sail-like properties of the arrays; with this two-for-the-price-of-one approach you get wind power and electricity simultaneously. Croissant. |
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Sorry, what's PV? Photovoltaic? |
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Assuming that the flexible "unbreakable" material that I linked to could indeed be used as a sail fabric, I'm wondering if a vertically mounted sail would actually collect enough direct light on it to generate a significant amount of storable electricity. Sure, the sail will be fully exposed to the sun during morning and evening hours in good weather, and when heeling over, but will get only glancing rays at other hours, and none at night or in inclement weather. Is that a reliable enough power source? |
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[8th of 7] That's what I meant by "storable electricity". Did you have a different take on it? |
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Great, with panels on deck also, you have all angles covered for catching the sun light. If sun is coming from windward side then you catch alot of sun from the sail but little from the deck. If the sun comes from leeward side then the sum hits smack on the deck AND heavy water reflextion back to the leeward side of the sail (water is a great solar reflector). If there is no wind you get sun hitting the deck if the sun is high. |
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Hmmm... Why not cover power generating windmill blades with PV? Another twofer. |
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