Solar panels on ferries can help reduce the vessels' reliance on nation's electricity grid

Solar panels on ferries can help reduce the vessels' reliance on nation's electricity grid

- Esther Loi

Solar-powered electric boats will soon ply the Singapore River, with two of 10 such vessels going into service by April.

Manufactured by local maritime start-up Pyxis, these new solar-powered river boats named Pyxis R ferries will replace half of river cruise operator WaterB's fleet of 20 boats by the end of 2025.

The remaining eight solar-powered boats will be delivered one by one ""almost every other month"" for the rest of the year, Pyxis founder and chief executive Tommy Phun told The Straits Times.

He said the solar panels on each river boat can generate about 22 kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity per day, adding that the daily combined electricity generated by 10 boats' solar panels would be sufficient to power 20 HDB flats for a day.

Noting that river boats are mostly deployed in the evenings and at night, Mr Phun said the solar-powered vessels can harvest the sun's energy when they are on standby in the afternoon.