As the World Expo in Shanghai enters its second month, the company Suntech Power delivered an extra attraction at the Chinese display: a solar-powered sailboat. The 10o foot long catamaran was unveiled on the Huangpu River yesterday, in a ceremony attended by Communist Central Committee Secretary of Shanghai, Mr. Mr. Zhengsheng Yu, as well as representatives from Suntech. Both the party leader and the CEO of Suntech voiced the need for continued expansion of solar energy as an indispensable part of the Chinese energy production.  “To meet the soaring global demand for Suntech’s solar products, we plan to add 1,000MW of crystalline silicon cell and module production capacity at our Shanghai facility within the next three years,” said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, Suntech’s Founder, Chairman, and CEO.” In addition to the boat, known as the Guosheng, Suntech has also contributed their solar products to power both the China Pavilion and Theme Pavilion at the World Expo.

The Guosheng passenger vessel incorporates a large fixed sail coated with silicon, angled to capture solar energy at an efficient rate, as well as Suntech’s HMP system which allows batteries powering the sailboat to be charged from renewable energy available from the movement of water on the surface of lakes and rivers. The technology will allow the passenger ferry to travel at a top speed of about 15 knots. Shanghai has made no secret of the many potential advantages of the new technology, including fuel savings, zero emission capability, power redundancy, and lower green-house gases. “We are just beginning to scratch the surface of what’s possible with solar. It seems clear that Suntech will continue to push the envelope, creating advanced solar technology to power a better future,” commented Hon Bob Hawke, the Chairman of Solar Sailor.

Suntech continues to maintain a close partnership with its Australian research facilities for the developments of their energy products, helping to launch the Victoria-Suntech Advanced Solar Facility, which will work to develop high-efficiency, nanoplasmonic solar products. In addition, the company has worked with the University of New South Wales for cooperative development of solar products. “Our long-term research collaborations with Australian organizations are central to driving solar innovation,” said Dr. Zhengrong Shi, himself a graduate of an Australian university. “As our planet bears the strains of fossil fuel energy generation, we are empowering people around the world to look up and harness nature’s cleanest and most abundant energy resource. The Shanghai Expo and this remarkable Solar Sailor technology offer shining examples of the power of technology to create a better life.”