| |
Electric boats, or electric ships, are vessels that are powered with an electric motor. They often use renewable energy sources such as wind turbines, solar panels and towed generators. Many ships take a hybrid approach with sails or diesel engines as a primary power source with electric motors as auxiliary power.
In the period 1880-1920 electronic boats were reasonably common during a period of enthusiasm for all things electric. By 1920, diesel engines had taken over and this continues to be the dominant power source for boats and ships to this day. The primary advantage of diesel engines is their range but this is changing due to efficiency gains in technologies such as wind turbines, solar panels and power storage. It is estimated that 2.2% of global greenhouse gas production is due to shipping. Ships often burn a high sulfur content fuel oil, also known as bunker oil that contains up to 4,500 times more sulfur than is allowed in petrol for cars in Europe. As such, ship smoke contains sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, particulate, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons.
|
Type | Sustainable Transport | Definition | A boat or ship powered by electric motors. | Value | Use of sustainable energy sources such as solar and wind. | Notes | A towed generator is a device that produces electricity when towed behind a sailboat. | Related Concepts | |
Sustainability
This is the complete list of articles we have written about sustainability.
If you enjoyed this page, please consider bookmarking Simplicable.
An overview of existential risk.
An overview of the precautionary principle.
A definition of comparative risk with examples.
The common types of energy efficiency.
The definition of external stakeholder with examples.
Common examples of an economic bad.
The definition of win-lose with examples.
An overview of climate engineering.
Why carbon soil is important.
A few examples of environmental issues.
An overview of greenwashing.
A definition and brief overview of global warming.
The definition of environmental justice with examples.
A list of countries ranked by CO2 emissions per capita.
Nations ranked by total CO2 emissions
A list of major social issues.
A list of common local issues.
A list of common community problems.
A list of common environmental problems.
TrendingThe most popular articles on Simplicable in the past day.
Recent posts or updates on Simplicable.
Site Map
ReferencesInternational Maritime Organization, Third IMO GHG Study 2014.
© 2010-2024 Simplicable. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction of materials found on this site, in any form, without explicit permission is prohibited.
View credits & copyrights or citation information for this page.
|