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The usual reason why not is that solar doesn't provide enough power, and batteries sufficient to power a container ship across an ocean would need to be impract
by elihu 5y ago
The usual reason why not is that solar doesn't provide enough power, and batteries sufficient to power a container ship across an ocean would need to be impractically large.
I wonder if maybe there are good options for powering electric ships mid-journey. For instance, suppose you have a container ship with enough battery capacity to operate for one day. On its usual route, there is a power line running along the ocean floor, and buoys at regular intervals with cables that bring the power up to the surface. Once a day, the ship stops at one of these buoys and charges its batteries for an hour, then continues on its way.