Japanese team tout solar-powered cargo ship

We've had solar powered cars and even solar powered planes, but now engineers in Japan have revealed they are working a solar powered cargo ship.

According to Reuters reports, Japan's biggest shipping line Nippon Yusen KK and Nippon Oil Corp have confirmed they are working to install solar panels on top of a 60,000 tonne car carried intended for use by auto giant Toyota.

Solar panels have been used on container ships before to generate power for auxiliary systems, but the new 40KW array is expected to represent the first time the sun's energy has been harnessed to help drive a ship's engines.

The two companies said that the $1.4m system should help cut fuel use by up to 6.5 per cent, while reducing the ship's carbon emissions by between one and two per cent, or around 20 tonnes a year.

The ship is scheduled to be completed before the end of the year.

Nippon Oil executive vice president Ikutoshi Matsumura said that, assuming technical challenges posed by salt water and rough conditions could be overcome, the company would aim for "full commercialisation of the system in the next three to five years".