MONACO, July 04, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A floating laboratory to test and demonstrate the feasibility of renewable energy solutions for maritime transport and beyond. In Monaco, during the days of the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge, the event dedicated to the future of yachting organised by Yacht Club de Monaco, the catamaran Energy Observer is moored at the YCM Marina. It is the first self-sufficient vessel powered by a mix of solar, wind, hydro and hydrogen produced on board and produces zero emissions. While planning a nine-year long new journey, this year the Energy Observer plays an even more central role in the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge (MEBC), serving as a direct link between research, innovation, and the younger generation. A real transmission is happening between the young engineers participating in the event and the professionals of Energy Observer. What students develop and test in the paddocks finds a concrete application aboard this unique vessel. The students also had the opportunity to visit the Energy Observer, discovering its technologies up close. For many, it was a first encounter with such an emblematic ambassador of sustainable maritime innovation. "Seeing the Energy Observer up close, understanding how everything we've been working on during the Challenge connects to real-life technology - it's honestly inspiring. It makes you realise that what we do here isn't just theoretical, it's shaping the future," shared Enguerrand from the team Néréides - UTT.
Since 2017, this floating laboratory has travelled over 68,000 nautical miles, visited more than 50 countries and proved the reliability of zero-emission technologies in a variety of conditions. "The Energy Observer, it's a really special boat because we are like a laboratory. We have tested all around the world many technology bricks, like solar panels. We also have a special sail: it's an ocean wing, it's really like a wing of a plane but in a vertical position, and hydrogen tank," explained Jean Baptiste Sanchez, captain of the Observer. And now it's time for a new adventure: "We're going to start a new journey, nine years around the world to explore carbon neutrality and we are going to build a new vessel by 2027. So that means we are looking for new talents, new engineers to get on board with us," added Benedicte Gallon, deputy CEO of the Observer. On Friday, June 6, at the opening of the United Nations Ocean Conference (UNOC3), Energy Observer unveiled EO3, its new expedition laboratory vessel, designed to explore future solutions for maritime and energy decarbonization.
This pioneering ocean-going catamaran, authentic floating innovation hub, marks the beginning of a new global adventure titled 'A journey to Carbon Neutrality' (2025-2033). The presence of the Energy Observer in Monaco embodies the tangible link between research and the energy transition.
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