The sun could not have shone more brightly when the e-catamaran was christened the motor ship (MS) "Insel Mainau" in the presence of numerous guests last Sunday and demonstrated during a test run. Starting in August, it will make welcome trips from various ports on Lake Constance and then begin scheduled service with a sailing time of around 20 minutes between Mainau Island and Uhldingen on the northern shore of Lake Constance.
Bifacial solar modules developed in Constance
The 300-passenger ship, which is 33 meters long and nine meters wide, generates about one-fifth of the required traction current itself on sunny days. To this end, around 60 bifacial, transparent solar modules, each with an output of 400 watts, are mounted in the light-flooded open-air deck. They have an efficiency of 20 percent and were developed by the ISC in Constance and manufactured under contract in China (cells) and in the new German states (modules).
In addition, the ship has fireproof batteries from the manufacturer Tesvolt (Saxony-Anhalt) with an output of 150 kW and a capacity of almost 1,000 kWh. They can be fully charged at a charging station in Unteruhldingen within approximately five hours or at all BSB ship landing stations with a slightly longer charging time. In addition to its own solar power generation, the ship is charged in Uhldingen with 100 percent certified green electricity.
Total cost of 3.5 million euros
The ship was built as a catamaran for low ship resistance and wave pattern, Christoph Witte, technical director of BSB and member of the management board, explained to the guests, among them Baden-Württemberg's transport minister Winfried Hermann (Greens). It was designed and manufactured by the Stralsund shipyard Ostseestaal (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). The e-motor as well as the propulsion propellers were supplied by a company in Lustenau (Vorarlberg), Austria.
The total cost of the e-ship, which was financially supported by the federal and state governments, is around 3.5 million euros (including the 300,000 euro charging infrastructure). The payback period is between 12-15 years, according to Norbert Reuter, head of the Constance public utility company. He sees the MS "Insel Mainau" as an important step towards climate-neutral shipping on Lake Constance.
In two years' time, the BSB's electric sister ship
In two years, an identical E-skiff of the Bodensee-Schiffsbetriebe (BSB) is to be put into operation. By 2035 at the latest, the entire BSB fleet should be traveling emission-free, Reuter said. BSB is a subsidiary of Stadtwerke Konstanz. The "Fontainebleau" ferry, which runs between Constance and Meersburg, is to be replaced by a new gas-powered ferry.
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In addition, the company is focusing, among other things, on further expansion of photovoltaics in the university city of Constance, with a 30 percent share of electricity production by 2035 at the latest. Six e-buses are currently in operation at the Constance municipal utility, with a further 23 to be added in the next three years. In addition, the bicycle rental system is being expanded to include 44 more e-bikes. Trials are also underway for the thermal use of lake water for heat supply. (hcn)
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