A solar powered eco-boat is a floating hotel for tourists

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• published: 21 Jul 2015
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SHOTLIST Canal du Midi, France - 22 May 2008 1. Various views of Le Soleil d'Oc solar powered boat on river 2. Sign on boat 3. Solar power cells on boat roof, as boat navigates on canal 4. Various views of Capestang village and surrounding countryside 5. Various of Dominique Renouf steering boat 6. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Renouf, boat owner: "I had been navigating on classic boats for 21 years, big diesel engines, fuels, oil, noise...I had enough, really enough of all that, and since I am on the Canal du Midi I became really aware of the pollution on the Canal, and I wanted to do something about it." 6. Various views of water in the Canal 7. SOUNDBITE (French) Dominique Renouf, boat owner: "The narrower the waterway the less water there is, and if in this waterway there are far too many boats, like 800 small diesel barges, which throw back in hydrocarbons and brown waters and used oils, then eventually you get to a saturation point." Capestang, France - 22 May 2008 8. Pan to fire engine 9. Dirty water 10. Various of firefighters dispersing pollution in canal water Canal du Midi, France - 22 May 2008 11. Various of motorboats on the canal 12. Various of people on motorboats 13. SOUNDBITE (French) Pierre Meunie, environmentalist: "On the canal there are people with the set of mind of the motorway tourist, who are going to put to use all the power in their engines to create waves and mess things up so this creates erosions on the banks. So there is more pollution linked to fuels and the drinking water is compromised, we should not forget that many villages rely on the water from the canal, which is filtered underground to drink." 14. Various of views of canal and landscape from Soleil d'Oc, people on boat 15. SOUNDBITE (French) Marie Madeleine Dalla Zuana, tourist: "This is peace, with the eyes on the landscape, on the vineyards, anticipating the wine we are going to drink, the monuments we are going to see and the friends all around." 16. View of landscape from boat 17. SOUNDBITE (French) Catherine Bouche, tourist: "The quietness, the fact that we don't produce engine noise, to navigate slowly in silence is really pleasant, really calming." 18. Tourists on board watching motor boat overtake 19. Back shot of motor boat 20. SOUNDBITE (French) Alain Schwob, tourist: "Here is the difference with a boat that makes noise, creates pollution, shakes the riverbed, while we take it real slow and calm, without producing waves." 21. Side view of canal and countryside from boat Capestang, France - 22 May 2008 22. Beauty shot of Capestang 23. Various of people preparing and enjoying evening ritual of aperitif and snacks in village LEAD IN If you are looking for an eco-holiday, how about cruising the Canal du Midi in South Western France on a sun-powered eco-boat? A floating hotel which sleeps 12 claims to spare the atmosphere 10 tonnes of CO2 per year, and this, added to the magnificent landscape of the Languedoc countryside, makes it the perfect holiday for tourists with an ecological conscience. STORYLINE Life flows slowly on the Canal du Midi....and peacefully, if you happen to cruise on the Soleil d'Oc, the first and only solar powered barge of its kind. The 30 metre-long (32 yard) boat does without a traditional motor engine, having given up its roof to 80 square metres of solar photovoltaic panels plus two arrays of solar pipes for the production of hot water. The Soleil d'Oc has been designed to fit in properly with the waterway it navigates: the 17 century engineering masterpiece, the Canal du Midi, now a UNESCO world heritage site. Opened in 1681, it is 240 kilometre (149 miles) long and it connects the river Garonne to the Rtang de Thau on the Mediterranean. Keyword wacky You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0fa480430795d64e9a414593df6e647f Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork