Submarine Going Solar with Project Goldfish!

Who would have thought that a submarine would go solar one day. Not forgetting that a submarine is to stay under water and unfortunately it is not possible yet to charge solar-powered batteries deep under the ocean...Or is it!?

As people and companies are getting more socially concerned, they are also becoming environment-friendly in whatever way they can. Such eco-friendly companies either show their responsibility towards environment by going green or by promoting eco-friendly forums and technologies.

In the last few weeks, I covered two stories, one in which Finnair envisioned to launch environment friendly aircrafts by using 100% recyclable materials and solar panels for energy generation. The second story covered a super yacht that was going green by using solar panels to generate energy as an alternative to fuel consumption.

A Swiss company called BKW has revealed its plans for what they call, Project Goldfish, a submarine that recharges its batteries via an island of solar panels that float on the surface above the submarine. Now this is amazing! By going solar, this submarine will be able to stay submerged for unlimited periods. It will have a 30 passenger capacity and these passengers will be able to board and leave the sub via solar powered shuttle. BKW hopes to have the solar submarine operational by mid 2012.

Although the secretive Swiss developers and the name Project Goldfish sounds like some fictional James BondJames Bond movie invention but the solar submarine will be truly real-world for sure. With all this recent trend of companies adding some sort of renewable energy source in their ocean going vessels, what next could possibly go solar? Well, I leave the smart thinking part for your ingenious imagination.