Sailing into the sunrise

On Coniston Water, the launches have gone quiet. Is silent solar the future for the Lakes?

Been to the Lake District in the last year? Noticed anything missing at Coniston Water? It’s the noise. The throbbing of the diesel engines on the pair of 1920s motor launches plying the length of the lake. It’s gone - and so has the pollution. The boats haven’t. They still ferry visitors up and down, but they’re driven now by electric hybrid motors - powered by solar panels.
IF I typ ehere it was only a line break yeah? that works! You sure?

The Coniston Launch company was set up in 1992 as an eco-friendlier alternative to driving round the lake by car or coach. The two historic boats, relaunched with the evocative local names of Ransome and Ruskin, fit nicely with the nostalgic charm of the Lakes. But it was no easy decision to switch from fossil fuel to something more futuristic. Burning dirty diesel did detract from the ‘green’ identity they wanted to foster, but it took years to work out a suitable alternative.

“We just kept on knocking on doors until we got there,”

founder and director Gordon Hall.

Hydrogen fuel cell power was one possibility, but the problem of getting planning permission for storing the hydrogen - within a national park - put that out of court. The eventual choice was to use a special electric motor, developed by US-based Solomon Technologies. It’s a lot quieter than a direct-drive diesel motor, and there’s none of that characteristic vibration transmitted throughout the boat. The power comes from a bank of batteries, kept charged up by the Sanyo solar panels that now cover most of the roof of each launch. If necessary there’s an onshore mains hook-up cable too, and an onboard diesel generator provides the backup required under the rules for all passenger craft.

The ‘Sunshine Cruises’, as they’re now marketed, have proved a hit with passengers; there’s an element of curiosity for many, but inspiration, too. Hall says he’s always being asked for the contact details of his solar panel supplier.

On the green scorecard, the company has cut its carbon emissions by at least half: the old diesel motors used to emit five or six tonnes of CO2 per boat per year, Hall reckons. The more efficient electric motors cut that considerably, even when running off the diesel generator - while solar power comes completely emission-free. The carbon cost comes out at around two tonnes of CO2 a boat. Diesel use is down in the same proportions too, of course - which is just as well, as the price has rocketed.

Capital costs are, admittedly, a different story. The new systems cost twice as much as a standard diesel replacement motor - and there’s no government assistance to bridge the gap. That’s a source of frustration to Hall, who points out that “if we were a taxi or a bus, we’d get a grant”. Boats just aren’t covered by the relevant legislation, so now he’s lobbying for EU funding for sustainable boat power. For Coniston Launch, however, the conversion costs had to be largely self-funded, until the final piece of investment came in - from a combination of the DTI, Friends of the Lake District, and the National Park Sustainability Fund.

Ever optimistic, Hall is prepared to keep putting effort into raising awareness. He’s happy to see solar panels springing up elsewhere, typically on smaller recreational boats, while he keeps flying the flag at Coniston for his kind of larger passenger craft. Enviroboat Developments, the spin-off consultancy Hall set up with his wife Margaret, has had contacts with prospective clients in charitable trusts, historic cities, and areas of particular ecological importance as far afield as Lake Balaton in Hungary - and has high hopes of seeing its solar electric system go into another passenger boat in the UK within 12 months. With fuel prices on the rise, and climate change in the headlines, it’s unlikely to be the last.

Roger East and Esther Maughan McLachlan

8 July 2006

Esther Maughan McLachlan and Roger East