Running for the sixth consecutive year, the hydrogen-powered Energy Observer’s 80th stopover will be in Cape Town, South Africa from June 12-20.
Docking alongside the vessel’s education exhibition village at the V&A Waterfront, the South Africa stopover will be held at a time when energy has become a key issue for the country and continent.
South Africa has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, however as power cuts affect the country regularly, the transition to a less carbon-intensive energy mix is becoming a question of public health.
During COP26 in Glasgow, the UK, US and EU committed to support the Just Energy Transition to accelerate the decarbonisation of the South African economy by accompanying the country in its gradual exit from coal. The established three priorities are the energy sector; green hydrogen; and electric vehicles.
Sailing since 2017, the Energy Observer is a laboratory for the ecological transition designed to push back the limits of zero-emission technologies. Hydrogen, solar power, wind power and hydropower are all solutions that have been experimented with, tested and optimised to make clean energy a concrete reality accessible to all.
Victorien Erussard, Captain and Founder of Energy Observer, said, “Energy Observer is an experimental platform for the energies of tomorrow. A smart, revolutionary vessel that sails without harming the planet.
“But what makes her unique is her ability to store energy in the form of hydrogen produced from seawater, a technology that allows her to navigate in total autonomy. Today, it is necessary to give meaning to innovation, to put it at the service of the challenges facing humanity.”
The Energy Observer set sail to Africa earlier this year, before crossing the Atlantic towards Brazil and Guyana. It is focused on observing and deciphering the energy issues of our time in a rapidly changing southern hemisphere.
Read more:Energy Observer to set sail to Africa and South America for 2023
