Solar powered cargo

According to a report on Businessgreen.com, Nippon Oil Corp. and Nippon’s NYK line are collaborating on building a solar powered cargo ship.

Japan’s biggest shipping line Nippon Yusen KK and Nippon Oil Corp have confirmed they are working to install solar panels on top of a 60,000 tonne car carried intended for use by auto giant Toyota.

Solar panels have been used on container ships before to generate power for auxiliary systems, but the new 40KW array is expected to represent the first time the sun’s energy has been harnessed to help drive a ship’s engines.

I wonder, if once completed, they will immediately implement a solar surcharge.