Modern cruise ships sport photovoltaics installations

United Solar, a manufacturer of light-weight, flexible thin-film solar modules, announced that their Uni-solar® brand photovoltaics have been installed on Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas cruise ship.

Royal Caribbean International launched the Allure of the Seas out of Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with Uni-solar laminates installed by Bam Solar of Miami providing electricity for the ship’s shopping district.

“Uni-solar laminates were the only solution that works for such a unique solar application like this,” said Andrew Rasken, president of Bam Solar. “We needed lightweight. We needed a solar product that doesn’t require surface penetrations, one durable enough that people can walk on, and that will stand up to the rigors of the harsh elements of being at sea.”

This project is Bam Solar’s second installation of Uni-solar laminates on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship.

“The first Oasis-class ship, Oasis of the Seas, has had such positive feedback for using solar that we knew we had to do it again with our Oasis’ sister ship, Allure of the Seas,” said Rasmus Norling, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., manager of R&D Environmental Technologies and Environmental Stewardship.