by Tafline Laylin,

We’re not completely sold on the excess so often associated with yachting, but Simone Madella and Lorenzo Berselli have designed the wind and solar powered Cronos yacht that is made almost entirely out of bamboo panels. Still in the design concept, this svelte machine will glide through the water without leaving behind a trail of gas fumes, and very little waste is involved in the construction process.

Compressed waste bamboo makes a beautiful panel that is so much healthier for the earth than the fiberglass typically used, and it is exceptionally renewable since it is one of the fastest growing plants on the planet. It also supports excellent acoustics so that being inside the yacht as it slaps against the water will still be comfortable. Walls of the engine room, which holds two electric engines, will be clad in Halite — a fabric that absorbs 15% of the room’s heat and converts it into electricity that can feed back into the battery.

Chin Ua solar glass — a transparent solar panel frequently used in Germany, Japan, and China — will generate additional energy, which should be fairly consistent since the boat is only likely to be out at the same time as the sun. And finally, the design team hopes to incorporate a wind belt that looks like an aeolian harp. It has strings that produce energy when hit by the wind and it is 10-30 times more efficient than a standard micro turbine. If all yachts were like this, we’d be on board!

(Source: www.inhabitat.com )