Its easy to see that GOLDFISH is referring to the submarine, but the whole idea of a solar submarine seems decidedly counterintuitive.  If a submarine is underwater how the heck does it harvest solar power?  Plug it into a floating solar power plant of course!

Swiss energy company, BKW, unveiled the GOLDFISH project at the World Expo in Zaragoza, Spain.  The idea behind the GOLDFISH project is "floating mobile solar power plants", primarily on inland seas.  "Like a water Lilly, the floating solar platform consists of a central element with a marquee, surrounded by five satellites fitted with solar panels".

The power plant, which would be located in the Thunersee lake, would power a solar submarine and the automated GPS positioning system.  The project will incorporate a small submarine that holds only 24 people and goes down a maximum of 300 meters (over 984 feet). The project would use existing technology for both the platform and the submarine.

Solar shuttles would take tourists out to the platform for the submarine ride.  Lakeside events would also draw power from the platform so that the entire project actually generates more energy than it uses. 

BKW is currently looking for investors in the GOLDFISH project which is estimated to cost about 10 million Swiss Francs or 8.85 million U.S. dollars.

There are three proposed future applications beyond the project involving Australia, Dubai, and Shanghai.  At each proposed location a floating solar power plant would be used to power different venues.

In Australia, the floating solar platform would power the Sydney Opera House.  The Burj Al Arab Hotel in Dubai would use a set up similar to the GOLDFISH project as a tourist draw.  Shanghai would use the floating solar platform to power solar ship traveling up and down the Huanpu River.

Since the technology exists, other inland waterways in different parts of the world could create their own floating solar platforms for tourist attractions like a solar submarine or for solar commercial and passenger ships.

According to BKW, the use of a floating solar platform and solar water transportation guarantees a CO2 neutral energy use and supply. 

Compared to the use of fossil fuels to power most ships and boats, this would be a major step forward in making sure that our inland waterways escaped at least one form of pollution.

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 at 10:59 pm under Green Technology, Navigation, Technology.

Read more entries by Susan Wilson.
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