http://green.rpi.edu/ 
A group of ambitious Rensselaer students will soon sail up the Hudson River, propelled by pollution-free hydrogen fuel cells and a clear vision for a cleaner, greener future.
Their boat, the 22-foot
New Clermont, is fit with a pair of 2.2-kilowatt fuel cell units. With a crew of three, the ship will launch from Pier 84 in Manhattan on September 21 and cruise at a cool 6 mph to arrive in Troy on the evening of September 25. The group is planning to make several stops along the way, showing off their one-of-a-kind boat, speaking with other green-minded individuals, and talking about the many environmental and potential economic benefits of building out the nation’s hydrogen economy.
“At its core, the New Clermont Project is about awareness. It’s a fun way to teach people about hydrogen energy,” said doctoral student William Gathright, who founded the group in early 2009. “We’re high-tech environmentalists. We want to share our vision of a time when people can take a pleasure cruise on their boat, or drive to the store, without leaving a trail of pollution and toxins behind them. We hope to inspire and challenge them to think of ways of making that vision a reality.”
Gathright, a doctoral student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and a National Science Foundation IGERT Fellow who is also pursuing a master’s degree in management from Rensselaer’s Lally School of Management & Technology, has assembled a volunteer team of undergraduate and graduate students from a wide spectrum of academic disciplines. New Clermont team members are not receiving any course credit for the project.
The first few months of the project entailed recruiting a team with skills and expertise in materials science and engineering, electrical and systems engineering, management, and communications. Their only physical asset, at first, was the boat itself – a forgotten, neglected vessel that Gathright promptly renamed the New Clermont. The 40-year-old sailboat is a Bristol 22, sometimes called a Bristol Caravel, and measures 22 feet from aft to bow.
…
More information and video available at the link.
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
