New technology for solar panels for yachts

A former Australian MP of Maltese descent, Paul Zammit, is in Malta to promote a flexible solar panel, which could be used for either ferries or yachts.

Mr Zammit, who was a member of the New South Wales state parliament from 1984 to 1996 and a member of the federal parliament from 1996 to 1999, was also instrumental in setting up the Australia-Malta Parliamentary Association.

He is the managing director of Zammit Sales and Marketing, which has exclusive representation rights for the new solar energy system in Malta, Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Libya.

As a former board member on the New South Wales Transit Authority, which among other things is responsible for ferries, Mr Zammit was quick to see the potential of the new technology.

Unlike conventional solar panels, the solar cells in the Solar Sailor panels are not embedded in glass, making them lighter, flexible, and rugged.

"They are ideal for yachts as they can be installed on curved structures," he told The Times.

The panels are linked to a battery which may also be topped up using mains electricity and a generator. The battery in turn runs a conventional electric motor. Because of their flexibility, the panels could also be used to form a vertical "wing" sail.

The Solar Sailor won the Boating Industry Association award for best product in 2000 and the Australian Design Award for engineering design in 2001.

Developed four years ago, following research conducted in partnership with BP Solar, the panels are used to power an eco-tourist vessel in Sydney Harbour, the Sydney Solar Sailor, which was launched in 2000. The panels on the vessel provide an average of 12 kW per hour.

"There has been a lot of international interest in the ship and there are other harbours which are considering similar systems," he said.

Mr Zammit made contact, with the help of George Pace of the Australian Trade Commision, with S&D Yachts who have now been awarded the exclusive agency for Malta.

"There is tremendous potential for ferries and for the yachting industry. Besides the environmental aspect of low pollution, the solar panels are low cost and low maintenance as there are very few moving parts," S&D Yachts principal Roland Darmanin Kissaun said.

"The time will come when we will all ask ourselves why we haven't used this energy source before," Mr Darmanin Kissaun said.

"Who knows? In time, if it is successful, we might even start to look at the possibility of manufacturing the panels here."