In a world where deforestation, rising carbon dioxide emissions and the immense burning of fossil fuels threaten the world we live in, I bring incredible news to boaters in the State of Maine and across the New England.

On Earth Day (April 22, 2022), a prototype boat, Solar Sal 24, was successfully launched and piloted in Lake St. George in Liberty, Maine, according to a Bangor Daily News article. Built by Belmont Boatworks in Belmont, this marked a historic day in Waldo County as the first solar-powered boat to be on an area lake.

This 24-foot boat is 100% powered by solar panels on its canopy. That means it causes no water pollution, burns oil, or uses gasoline, according to the SolarSal website.

Not only does it have obvious environmental benefits, but listen to how quietly the boat moves. It’s the future.

“I’m pretty blown away,” Dan Miller, owner of Belmont Boatworks, told the Bangor Daily News. “It was really fantastic. She (the boat) did everything she was supposed to do, and did it perfectly.

This is just the beginning of solar-powered boats in Maine and throughout New England.

“The goal is to set up to build an infinite amount,” Miller told Bangor Daily News. “If they sell, we’ll take the ball as far as it goes.”

One Solar Sal has gone far – extremely far.

Pictured above is the Wayward Sun, the first solar-powered boat to complete the Inside Passage from Bellingham, WA to Glacier Bay, Alaska, according to the SolarSal website.

That’s a total of 1,400 miles, which is basically the distance it would take to get from the Port of Portland Maine to the Port of Miami, according to Ports.com. This long journey relied strictly on solar panels – no oil, gas or harmful toxins in our oceans.

“The Solar Sal isn’t just for weird environmentalists and science geeks like me. She’s not just a way to prove a point,” Miller wrote on her Facebook. It’s stable, comfortable, well-powered and pretty… This technology can help shape the way boaters and yachtsmen interact with our oceans and our planet.”

The boat is moving at around 7 knots or 8 miles per hour.

“One of the things I think solar technology is going to do is slow us down,” Miller said. “Our American need for speed is probably going to suffer a bit. This boat is not going to be for boaters.

Conclusion: we have to slow down. We, as a global community, must embrace these technologies that put us on a better path for our planet.

It’s amazing technology that has reached Maine. I look forward to seeing more all-solar boats in the future.