India’s first solar fishing boats will be ready by December 2021 at Vypeen and Munambam in Kerala. Five boats are in different development stages funded by the independent charity arm of British-Dutch petroleum company, Shell Foundation, and NavAlt Solar and Electric Boats is the startup that does the work. Sandith Thandasherry, CEO of NavAlt, told the media that there are more than 2.5 lakh small fishing boats in India and 1.13 tonnes of CO2 are released/tonne of live weight of marine fish netted. He said that initially, the Shell Foundation is backing the project with Rs 1.5 crore, which includes the developing cost of the boats and financing the buyers to cover the extra cost compared to a traditional boat. NavAlt stood out and made headlines when it launched a solar water taxi and the first solar ferry in Kerala in the country. Thandasherry also said that a conventional small boat would consume 2,500 litres of fuel/year, which results in 5-6 tonnes of carbon emissions or year according to the estimates, and it gives the size of carbon emission, which is massive in terms of environmental impact multiplied by 2.5 lakh boats in India. He said that it is a hurdle to convince fisherfolk to switch to a new technology with which they are unfamiliar and that he went to Gujarat in 2013 to understand the needs of the fishermen. NavAlt plans to sell its solar ones at Rs 10 lakh while a conventional boat costs around Rs 2.5 lakh. Thandasherry told the media that they told the Shell Foundation that if they could help find the financing to pay the difference of 7.5 lakh, the fisherman could pay back the sum as EMI rather than the fuel bills. So they would have a better life right from the first day. Additionally, he said that the net income of a typical boat owner is less because of fuel bills that come to Rs 2.5 lakh a year. NavAlt also required finances from Shell Foundation to scale up the project so that the cost of the boat can be brought down from the manufacturing cost of Rs 25 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. NavAlt is also engaged in electric motor development for boats. Image Source