Hybrid cargo carrier built by Mitsubishi

A cargo carrier operated partly by solar photovoltaic energy generated on its deck was completed at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Kobe Shipyard & Machinery Works in Kobe and received by Tokyo-based Nippon Yusen K.K. The 60,213-ton carrier, Auriga Leader, was developed jointly by Nippon Yusen and Tokyo-based Nippon Oil Corp. to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and improve energy consumption. A total of 328 solar panels, each with a length of 1 to 1.5 meters and a width of 0.5 to 1 meters and equipped on the vessel’s decks, can generate a maximum of 40 kilowatts, covering 0.3% of the vessel’s motive energy. (December 20, 2008)