'Celebrity Solstice'

A new Innovative Energy Efficient Cruise Ship.

The new Celebrity Cruises 122,000 ton Luxury cruise ship "Celebrity Solstice" has many of the latest energy efficient features that mostly go unnoticed by the average passenger but make a huge contribution towards energy efficiency on the high seas.

The "Celebrity Solstice" is fitted with 216 solar panels, which power 7000 LED lights in all of the ship's guest elevators.

The naval architects optimized the center of buoyancy of the ship to reduce hull resistance and designed an aft-duck tail to reduce the ship's drag through the water, minimize the ship's wake and use less fuel.

A silicone hull coating reduces the friction of the ship through the water further improving the fuel efficiency of the vessel.

"Celebrity Solstice" transitions from higher wattage incandescent and halogen bulbs to longer lasting fluorescent and LED lights which generate 50% less heat. This results in improved energy efficiency for the ship's lighting and less air-conditioning is required.

Highly glazed windows produced by the 3M company allow natural light in but filter out 99.9% of UV light, which reduces heat transfer and minimizes the need for air-conditioning.

Chilled river rocks are used instead of ice beds in buffet areas, which reduce both water and energy consumption, and result in less need for ice in the restaurants.

An advanced waste water purification system produces near-drinkable quality water before discharge into the ocean thus minimizing any potential negative environmental impact.

This exciting 2,850 passenger cruise ship represents a quantum leap in applying energy efficient measures at sea and generates some good ideas that can easily be replicated in buildings and facilities on dry land.