Earthrace: Racing Around the World for a Better Planet
by Collin Dunn, Corvallis, OR, USA on 02.22.06
We've covered sustainable yachting before, but have never seen anything quite like this. Earthrace is a bid to break the world record for circumnavigating the globe in a powerboat, and they'll try it using only renewable fuels. The program includes the 24,000 nautical-mile race, which the team plans to accomplish in 65 days (the current record is 75), and an accompanying 18-month tour at 60 ports (here is a map of where they're going) around the globe to promote fuels like biodiesel and raise awareness for sustainable resource use. The Earthrace team hopes it will be the highest-profile powerboat in the world, as well as one of the greenest, with it's showcase of environmentally friendly technologies such as low-emission engines and efficient hull design. The boat, a specially-designed trimaran, will run mostly on 100% biodiesel at a top speed of 45 knots/hours (about 55 mph or 90 km/h). The race was originally scheduled to start in December, but the project ran short of funds; according to the website, they're up and running and planning to launch this coming Friday, February 24, from Auckland, New Zealand. Good luck, Team Earthrace! ::Earthrace via tipster Suad
Fun project, but it is hard to defend as environmentally friendly, if, for demonstration purposes, you are going to burn somewhere in the 100's of tons of fuel just to make your point. You will still be adding CO2, NOX and SOX to the atmosphere.
What are you demonstrating? That you can burn fuel by just running around the world real fast? Maybe that fuel should be used to power a night school generator, or a tractor in Malawi.
Sorry Rik, but you are underinformed. Earthrace is 100% bio diesel. No sulfur emissions. Extremely limited carbon and other greenhouse emissions. I suggest you read the Earthrace site first, then voice your opinion. What the team is promoting is knowledge about how bio fuels can make a clean difference. See comments by Pete Bethune at:http://www.innovativeye.com/pete/.
You are totally missing the point. Why do fewer emissions if you can do zero emissions? Use wind and you have no emissions. Biofuels is a nice gimmick, but it has to come from somewhere, and no matter how much propaganda anybody puts out there, it takes energy to make biodiesel. I might accept it as a substitute for unavoidable use, where it can replace straight diesel, (tractor in Malawi) but to use it for additonal fuel consumption in the form of using 100's of tons to drag a boat around the world is stupid.
Why drag a boat around the world using internal combustion, when you can do it with wind?
By supporting a program like this you are as bad as supporting people who drive huge SUV's and try to be "environmentally responsible" by running them on biodiesel. The point is greater efficiency first, and then find the least harmful fuels. Not to find less harmful fuels and then burn more ot them.
I will not even touch on your arguments about the environmental benefits of biofuels. There is a huge debate out there, but don't think that those who have the best PR necessarily have access to the truth about this complex subject.
Personally I believe biofuels too will pass, they might be useful in limited applications, but they will never solve our problems. Especially if there are people out there who believe that the solution lies in simply burning more of it.
yeah, the sailing around the world record is 50 days
This is biodiesel. Growing the crops for the diesel takes CO2 out of the athmosphere, and burning it as fuel releases it again, which technically makes it CO2 neutral.
Earthrace is now racing round the globe on its world speed record attempt & Earthrace TV has all the latest footage.Watch the videos of the history that lead up to this amazing story.
www.earthracetv.net
Earthrace is now racing round the globe on a world speed record attempt & you can watch the latest footage on Earthrace TV. Take a look at the history that lead up to this amazing awareness project for the planet.
www.earthracetv.net