Solar PV potential for passenger ferry boats in India's National Waterways

The waterways in India have not been exploited to the maximum so far & only now have received the attention they deserve by passage of The National Waterways Act 2016 which notifies 111 waterways in India as National Waterways. The use of Solar Energy in National Waterways in India holds great promise & needs to be an integral part of planning & development of National Waterways. Solar PV is a technology which is a key element of India's Solar Energy initiative aiming at 100GW by 2022. Solar PV has great potential for exploitation in The National Waterways for passenger traffic in the form of Solar PV ferry boats. Solar PV boats have grown in technology as well as popularity in recent times. A potential of 150 MWp Solar PV deployment exists for Solar PV boats along National Waterways in India with 7508 boats of 75 pax capacity each. CO
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reduction potential of 1.1 million ton per year is also envisaged. Solar PV boat offers an attractive pay back compared to conventional boats. There is a need for creating awareness on the subject, integration of Solar PV Boats in overall planning of National Waterways in India & development of related codes & standards. Also, The cost of waterways transport is lower than that of railways & highways.